Community rallies to cancer woman’s side

When Loughrea musician Áine Morgan narrowly escaped serious brain injury or death after suffering two aneurysms at the age of 37, she thought she had endured the worst life could throw at her.

But the diagnosis just before her 41st birthday delivered by her doctor was the stuff of nightmares. She was told she had stage four cervical cancer which had spread to the lymph nodes, making it incurable.

She underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment for six months and is now on infusions to stop the blood supply to the tumours every couple of weeks.

Her last scan showed no sign of cancer but her oncologist warned her not to raise her hopes too high.

“I nearly fell off the chair I was so excited. But I’ve been told it’s going to come back – the type of cancer it is – and the first response to chemo is always the best. But I’m staying extremely positive. I don’t think it will.”

Áine works by day at Killian’s Pharmacy in Loughrea. At the weekends she is a wedding singer and performs at gigs in pubs and hotels around the West. She is also a member of the Kiltullagh Community Choir.

Tonight over 100 musicians will gather in the Lough Rea Hotel & Spa to raise money for one of their own. Áine is determined to seek out alternative treatment in a bid to prolong her life as long as possible.

She hopes to attend a clinic overseas which offers alternative treatments or join a clinical trial – some of which cost in the region of €25,000.

Her positivity will ensure the benefit night – featuring bands such as The Rascals, DaDerga, Belladonna, Who Knows, Fraggle Rock, The Treblemakers, Carmel Dempsey and even Deputy Ciaran Cannon, as well as her own Kiltullagh Community Choir – will be a full-on celebration.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.