Aoife O’Brien

I'm fundraising for a great cause!

This cause is close to my heart, as my wonderful Mam is an ovarian cancer survivor. Mam was first diagnosed in Summer 2015, she had a major surgery to remove 2 huge tumours and then faced into chemo, she was so strong and fought very hard, and had her last chemo session on New Years Eve. She had a reoccurrence a few years later and a second surgery which had complications and left her very sick, she gave us a big fright but pulled through, we got her home but a few days later she ended up back in hospital with a clot. After a few days in hospital she got home again and then faced into more chemo.

During this time she attended the Hope Cancer Support Centre and was told about Relay for Life, in 2017 we all planned on going to relay but Mam was too sick from her surgery. It wasn't until relay 2018, when Mam was well enough to attend, in her purple survivors T shirt, when we experienced all the feelings and relay for life Wexford got under our skin. 

Relay is hard to describe, and its not until you go and take part that you realise how amazing it is, its the type of event that when you get involved, you'll never not go. It is full of all the emotions, but seeing the courage and strength of all the survivors is incredible. I think the survivors lap and the candle bag ceremony are the most emotional part of the day. The survivors lap is a mix of emotions, it is great to see so many survivors but its also hard to think back about everything that led up to this point, the picture of me and Mam at the survivors lap, sums it up perfectly. 

Mam is doing great now and and as you can see, looking amazing. So we are in a position to give back and help, to support families that are now going through what we went through. It is hard to believe it started for us 10 years ago, in some ways it feels like it was only yesterday. It changed us all, I don't think any house is ever the same once cancer has knocked on the door, it changes your outlook on life, and really that's not a bad thing, it brings things into perspective. 

I was the TU Dublin Student Union Charity Champion in 2023-2024, and we fundraised for the Irish Cancer Society. We help our own mini relay for life and Mam was out special VIP guest. Over the year we raised over €18,000 and I was delighted to be able to present the cheque to Dan from the Irish Cancer Society. 

When I started working in Danone, I knew I had to get involved in relay, and I would be extremely grateful for any support. Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference. 

Thank you for your support!

Love, Aoife