Man who battled cancer in his teens raises €3,100 for hospital
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A 27-YEAR-OLD man who battled cancer as a teenager raised over €3,000 for the ward in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital where he was treated.
Ciaran Creighton, from Killinarden, put the call out on Facebook on November 1 for his mates to get involved in fundraising by growing facial hair for Movember, and his brother and four of his friends decided to take part and help him to raise funds for St John’s Ward.
Ciaran Creighton handing over the €3,100 cheque
Sean Creighton, Martin Shaw, Michael Quigley, David McBride and Mick O’Dea all took part in the Movember challenge with Ciaran.
Raising money for St John’s Ward was particularly poignant for Ciaran, as when he was diagnosed with cancer at 14 years of age it was the ward he was treated in.
Ciaran told The Echo: “I went into St John’s when I was 14, so I was the oldest in the ward. I knew what was going on but the other children in the ward didn’t.
“Being there was eye-opening, and it gave me a new lease of life.
“It’s a very impactful ward. The staff are amazing, they all walk around with smiles on their faces.”
Ciaran received treatment for cancer for six years following his diagnosis and now has the all-clear, and so he wanted to give back to make a difference to children who are facing the same struggles that he did when he was being treated.
Ciaran and five of his friends all grew moustaches for Movember and got sponsorship from their family and friends, which raised a total of €3,100 for St John’s Ward.
“I was expecting people to donate a euro or two,” said Ciaran. “Everyone was great. The community, our friends and our families went out of their way to raise money.”
