Cork town set to host 10th Relay for Life  to remember loved ones lost and those fighting cancer

It is possible not just to survive cancer, but to thrive and live a healthy life again.

Mariane Foley, one of the organisers of Relay for Life Midleton, knows this only too well.

“As any cancer patient knows, a cancer diagnosis is extremely daunting, and the greatest fear is that of the unknown,” says Mariane.

“As a survivor, knowing nurses such as Eileen Kennedy, doctors such as John Coulter and Professor Seamus O’Reilly, and having the support of my husband Billy and our family, I am a survivor of ovarian cancer 11 years coming up in January.”

As well as being a cancer survivor, Mariane is a great organiser.

“I can’t believe Relay for Life is celebrating 10 years this September!” she says.

Relay for Life is a 24-hour event that brings the whole community together to celebrate the lives of cancer survivors, remembering those lost to the disease, and fighting back by increasing knowledge of cancer while raising money to fund vital research and services of the Irish Cancer Society, such as the night nurse service and the volunteer driver service.

“All through the years, Relay for Life has enjoyed great leadership and community support,” says Mariane.

I got involved as a volunteer with the Irish Cancer Society over 10 years ago. I’ve never looked back.

There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

“The word cancer was the last thing on my mind,” says Mariane, recalling her diagnosis at the end of 2012.

Going through a cancer journey; coming to terms with it, and having gruelling invasive treatment for the disease can be a dark time.

“When I was seriously ill, there were some dark days” says Mariane.

Now, over a decade on from her cancer journey, her days are bright and optimistic. Where there is life, there is hope.

“There are no guarantees in life,” says Mariane. “For me every day is a bonus.”

Every day brings opportunities.

“Relay for Life provides the opportunity to raise awareness and much- needed funds,” says Mariane.

“It enables us to remember and to gain strength and unity.”

Everybody who takes part in the 24-hour event enjoys the special camaraderie uniting young and old, forging a bond together.

“We have lots of fun, food, and music and games too!” says Mariane, full of the joys of life.

“The fun part is very important!”

Cancer survivors, donning a purple jersey, take on the first lap of the relay at 3am. Teams of family members and friends commit one member of the team walking around the track at all times while a festival of fun and entertainment continues.

The atmosphere under the stars at night in the grounds of CBS, every year for 10 years, is always special.

“When the Candle of Hope is lit, signifying the loss of a loved one, or in support of a loved one affected by cancer, it is very poignant,” says Mariane.

“It gives people the opportunity to reflect.”

What drives her to help organise this special event for cancer sufferers, survivors and their loved ones every year?

“You know, it is so good to create a place that allows people to speak freely to each other and who end up as friends. That’s what drives me. That is very important.

Relay for Life is a celebration in memory of those who passed, and the determination and hope for a cure for cancer.

It is very important to send out the message that cancer can be beaten.

“We don’t hear enough positive stories about people like myself who survive cancer,” says Rose Finn, from Carrigtwohill.

Fighting cancer is a universal effort.

“And we don’t hear enough stories about the great advances they are making in treating all kinds of cancer.” Rose, a mother of two, fellow survivor and fellow Relay for Life organiser alongside Mariane, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October, 2008. She had six sessions of chemotherapy and more than 30 sessions of radiotherapy to treat the disease.

“I am fortunate to have survived cancer,” she says.

Rose lost her sister Geraldine to ovarian cancer after a short illness and their mother suffered breast cancer towards the end of her life.

“Everybody has some experience of cancer,” says Rose.

“Either themselves, in their family or friends. There is no person in the country who hasn’t been affected by cancer.”

Like Mariane, Rose is a volunteer with the Irish Cancer Society.

“Celebrating our 10-year anniversary of Relay for Life is amazing,” says Rose.

“We are all so excited! No doubt this year’s event will be as successful and as enjoyable as every Relay for Life event down through the years.

“It is a celebration and a festival of fun to help fight cancer.”

Megan Dalton Rafferty, from Togher, is a relative newbie volunteering for the Irish Cancer Society and taking part in Relay for Life. She is a proud cancer survivor too.

“Cancer is a crap journey,” says Megan, who was diagnosed with cancer of the blood after experiencing an ache in her shoulder blade in November, 2021.

“I was in isolation for a month and then I spent 10 months in my mum and dad’s house,” says Megan.

“I was working in Limerick at the time and my employer supported me all the way through. When I had the energy, I worked away on my laptop and was fully paid.”

Apart from going through the ordeal of cancer treatment, Megan also contracted sepsis.

“I was in ICU for four days. In January, 2023, after a routine lumbar puncture, I went on immunotherapy treatment, replacing chemotherapy treatment.

“I was back in Limerick then and I was going around with a bum bag with a lead in my arm. pumping the medication into me.”

Megan’s family, her granny, and her bone marrow donor helped her survive her cancer journey.

“At weekends, I went home to my family and my granny,” she says. “My granny was so good to me; when she got sick, I was there for her.”

After a five-week stint in St James’s Hospital in Dublin waiting for a bone marrow donor for stem-cell transplantation, Megan slowly began coming round.

My body bounced back fairly quickly after a few hurdles and, thanks to my donor, I survived.

And she became a volunteer with the Irish Cancer Society.

“I was happy to learn the various skills needed to become a volunteer,” says Megan.

She is happy to take part in Relay for Life too.

“As a cancer survivor, I feel very lucky. I know of other people who struggled to survive. For me it was all a hurdle, but everything did go fairly smoothly. I am so grateful.”

Megan knows there are good people in the world.

“I got a letter from my donor, it is nice to know there are good people out there.”

She is willing to give back.

“I really appreciate all the staff in the Burkitt ward in St James’s who looked after me so well,” says Megan.

“If they asked me to mop the floors in the wards in the morning, I would.”

Relay for Life Midleton is on Saturday, September 14 at the CBS grounds. To register a team, see www.cancer.ie