Cork's Elaine Crowley urging people to donate to Irish Cancer Society at Christmas

Many people this Christmas will be faced with saying a final goodbye to a loved one, a Cork-born television presenter who has lost three close family members to cancer has said.

Elaine Crowley, TV presenter and producer, lost her father Sean to liposarcoma, a rare and incurable cancer when she was just 23. Her beloved mother, Mary V, died in 2021 from lung cancer and her nephew Ultan, 11, died from a rare form of cancer in 2023.

This Christmas, Ms Crowley, who is from New Twopothouse, is calling on the public to show their support for the Irish Cancer Society’s range of services, including its Night Nursing service. She noted that each year in Ireland, around 9,500 lives are lost to cancer.

“It is an incredibly difficult time of the year for anybody to be thinking about loved ones you have lost, and for me it will be no different,” she said.

“Cancer has touched my life an awful lot over the years. I sadly lost my dad, Sean, and mum, Mary V, to cancer, and more recently my nephew Ultan, who was only 11-years-old.

“For many people this Christmas, they will be faced with saying a final goodbye to a loved one.”

Ms Crowley said the Irish Cancer Society’s Night Nursing Service is there all year round, including Christmas time, so that cancer patients coming towards the end of life can spend their final days at home with loved ones.

Special service

“This is such a special service, and I know first-hand how valuable this time with your loved one is,” she said.

“I encourage anybody who is thinking of giving this Christmas to donate anything you can to support the wonderful work of the Irish Cancer Society and their Night Nurses. The work they do, the support they give, and the positive impact this can have for families is incredibly important.”

Irish Cancer Society chief executive officer Averil Power said the charity’s night nurses had last year delivered just under 6,900 nights of care to cancer patients at home in their final days, including on Christmas Eve, Christmas Night, and all over the Christmas period.

“This service would simply not be possible without the incredible generosity of people all over the country who give their support and make donations to the Irish Cancer Society."

We typically receive only 5% of our funding from government, meaning the rest comes from individuals and organisations who generously support our work,” Ms Power said. 

“We want to be there for as many people as possible who need us and to do that, we need your support.”