'We are so proud': Swim in memory of Cork teen raises €177k for charity

The family and friends of a Cork teenager who died in 2013 from leukaemia have raised €177,000 for charity since then.

The Danny Crowley Christmas Swim has been an annual event at Myrtleville beach since the death of the Carrigaline boy. His family and friends gathered recently to announce that the tenth and final annual swim, in 2022, had raised €24,002.60

After Danny passed away, his friends and family set up the swim to commemorate him and raise funds for the Mercy Kids & Teens Appeal, and in particular the Paediatric Outreach Oncology Nursing Service (POONS), which supports Cork’s youngest cancer patients.

POONS allows the Mercy University Hospital to deliver a home-based option to children like Danny, allowing for some normalisation of family life during cancer treatment. It also reduces hospital admissions and promotes early discharge from hospital.

Danny’s mother, Majella Crowley, spoke about the difference the funds raised can make.

“POONS and the entire team in the children’s leukaemia unit provided invaluable support to Danny and our family when Danny was undergoing his treatment,” Majella said. 

“They went the extra mile, and we all appreciated the huge difference it made. 

"The funds raised through the swim over the last 10 years ensure that families who find themselves in similar situations have the support to help them on what is an incredibly difficult journey for any family to undertake.

“What started with about 40 swimmers, in 2013, saw more than 500 swimmers brave the water annually in recent years. 

"We are so proud of what has been achieved, and want to extend a massive ‘thank you’ to anyone who supported the event over the last 10 years.”

Olga Buckley, paediatric oncology/haematology CNS in the Mercy University Hospital, said the funds raised by Danny’s family and friends have made a “tremendous difference” to many lives.

“We would like to thank them from the bottom of our hearts,” she said. “It costs the Mercy Hospital Foundation €30,000 each year to continue to keep this service mobile, and the Danny Crowley Christmas Swim has gone a huge way to ensuring this happens. Funds raised mean that POONS has continued to provide immeasurable support for some of Cork’s youngest patients and their families, with 45 families using the service in 2021 alone, with over 550 home visits carried out.”