'I never saw anyone embrace life as fully as Cathy Dunne-Fitzpatrick'

Over the four decades that I knew Cathy Dunne-Fitzpatrick - who passed away on May 6, - I saw her doing things that I had never seen anybody do before.

One day, a flying object, a javelin, flew past my kitchen window, soaring through the sky and landing far away in the field. I then watched the kids next door racing each other to retrieve the javelin for Cathy; we found out that she had thrown it a distance of more than nine metres.

She repeated this many times for all to see.

At the Arnhem Paralympics in 1980, after throwing the javelin 9.7. metres, Cathy brought home a silver medal to her home by the Lee.

In her four-time Paralympic career, from 1980 to 1992, the East Cork athlete’s prime international success came in other field events, specifically winning a silver in discus and a bronze in the pentathlon at the 1998 Seoul Games.

Cathy, who went on to live in Togher in Cork, often spoke to me about her tremendous journey to Seoul with her fellow athletes.

“Ireland were the first team to arrive,” she said. “The Koreans, the nicest people, greeted us and the atmosphere was electric. That three-week trip was wonderful. It was a trip of a lifetime. Everything was just right. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

Cathy thought joining Leevale Athletic Club Cork and getting a great welcome there was wonderful.

“They were the first athletic club in Ireland at the time to welcome people in Ireland with disabilities. It made us all feel equal,” said Cathy.

“Barriers were broken down because of it, and we were integrated into mainstream sport.”

Another thing that I never saw anybody doing before: when Cathy tilted her wheelchair back, balancing on two wheels to twirl and twist out on the dance floor at her 21st birthday.

But then, she was an elite athlete. She knew no fear.

“It’s easy!” she said. “And great fun!”

She had other talents too.

I watched her magic up a hearty beef stew or a delicious shepherd’s pie followed swiftly by an apple crumble, in the blink of an eye.

I was always very thankful when she cooked up a storm and shared the meal with us. Her brother, whom I married, was even more grateful and thankful.

“Just like mammy makes,” Cathy would say

Cathy, a chip off the old block, often shared sage advice that she got from her mother, as well as sharing her delicious home-cooked meals and crusty brown bread.

“Beauty never boiled the pot!” she advised me.

I never saw a bride as beautiful as Cathy Dunne on her wedding day when she married her true love, John Fitzpatrick, in her parish Church of Ladysbridge.

Cathy met John when she worked as a receptionist in CUH after a mutual friend introduced them to each other.

They spent many happy days with their three children, Cliona, Seán, and Ciarán, at their beautiful home in Lehenaghmore, Togher; in their mobile home at Eagle Point, Ballylickey; in the surrounds of Kerry; and in Cathy’s beloved Garryvoe, where she was one of the early band of hardy swimmers to plunge into its icy waters on Christmas Day.

I never saw anyone enjoying and embracing life so fully before like Cathy did.

On the kids’ Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) summer holidays, or enjoying the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay, or when taking part in the disabled sailing group, Cathy grabbed life by the scruff of the neck, and she shook it for all it was worth.

“We will miss the legendary Wednesday afternoon sessions when Cathy hosted musicians young and old,” wrote a fellow traditional Irish music lover on the RIP.ie condolences page for Cathy after her death in May.

“Cathy always turned up to support others,” stated Spinal Injuries Ireland on the same page.

The ambulance service, The Crann Centre, and Cathy’s fellow telephonists on reception in CUH worded similar sentiments.

Togher Community Garden had a special message: “Cathy opened our eyes for accessibility. She was the driving force behind our plans to create a wheelchair access around the garden to everyone so that everyone could enjoy the space equally.

“It is hard to accept that Cathy will never see the path finished that she inspired.

“Cathy’s kindness, determination, and advocacy will leave a lasting mark on our garden and on everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.”

Cathy inspired people.

“Her role in paving the way for future generations of athletes is unparalleled, underscoring her contributions to Irish Paralympic history,” it was stated when four-time Irish Paralympian Cathy Dunne-Fitzpatrick was honoured at Paralympics Ireland’s ‘Unparalleled’ celebration not long before she died.

She received an official certificate in recognition for pioneering contributions to Irish Paralympic history.

“It was the most fantastic day out in Dublin,” she told me afterwards.

Days out visiting Cathy at home were always special.

On fine days, she’d be found outside tending her beautiful garden where she grew raspberries, gooseberries, and strawberries, as well luscious shrubs and flowers.

She always said the same thing. “Kettle’s on. Scones are just out of the oven.”

Cathy always made a point of visiting her relatives and friends near and far.

“It’s lovely to see all the cousins together,” she said. Sometimes, you’d find yourself looking out the window, expecting Cathy to pull in and open the back doors of her vehicle, arrange the ramp for her wheelchair and ring the doorbell.

“Put on the kettle!” she would say, and then she would proceed to ask about everyone’s welfare and how they were all doing. She celebrated every win, big or small.

In my 60-plus years, I never met anyone else like Cathy Dunne Fitzpatrick.

She was a one-off. She was a Paralympian. She was that rare thing; she was a winner in life.

Go and visit Togher Community Garden and watch Cathy’s garden grow.