Support Relay for Life appeal

A YOUNG mother from Ballyfermot who survived childhood leukaemia is calling on the Dublin community to get involved in Relay For Life South County Dublin this May.

Registration is now open for the 24-hour event in Corkagh Park on May 31 in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, which brings the local community together to celebrate cancer survivors and remember those who have been lost to cancer.

Participants team up and take turns to walk through the day and night, with someone always on the move during the 24-hour period.

Ballyfermot woman and cancer survivor Hollie Maxwell was diagnosed with leukaemia when she was six, and she finished chemotherapy just before her First Communion.

The 28-year-old is sharing her cancer experience to encourage others to take part in Relay For Life and to show that there is hope after a cancer diagnosis.

“Most people have been affected by cancer, and I think Relay For Life is a great way for us to support each other – there’s a great sense of community,” Hollie said.

“I went to my first Relay For Life in 2016. It felt really amazing, and it was very emotional.

“It was really nice to meet other survivors and hear their stories – especially other young people, I don’t really meet other young cancer survivors in my day-to-day life.”

The funds raised at Relay For Life are essential to enable the Irish Cancer Society to provide free, vital support services to people affected by cancer across Ireland and to fund groundbreaking cancer research.

A moving Candle of Hope ceremony is one of the main highlights of Relay For Life, when thousands of candle bags, personalised with messages of hope and remembrance, are lit in celebration of cancer survivorship and to honour loved ones lost to cancer.

Another key feature of every Relay For Life is the survivors’ lap, where cancer survivors who have lived or are living with cancer are invited to open the event with a special celebratory lap of their local Relay track.

“One in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime, so it’s so important to get behind fundraisers like Relay For Life so these vital services can continue to be there when we need them,” Hollie added.

To register a team for a Relay For Life South County Dublin, or to buy a candle bag to be displayed as part of the Candle of Hope ceremony, visit HERE.