Connacht Tribune
Fundraising drive to help couple in cancer battle
A Tuam couple spent their first wedding anniversary in a cancer treatment centre in New York – where 38 year old teacher Regina Duffy is undergoing cutting edge treatment that she hopes will save her life.
Regina, who is suffering from a rare form of brain cancer, has endured an extremely difficult eight years. She has already undergone treatment for breast cancer, a brain tumour – and the loss of her mother three years ago.
Voluntary groups in Tuam have joined in the fundraising effort across the west to help Regina and her Tuam husband Jason Donoghue as she continues her cancer treatment in the world-renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York.
Regina’s cancer is rare and difficult to treat and she had no choice but to go abroad to seek treatment. She is accompanied by family members who are prepared for ‘the long haul’ but are hopeful of a positive outcome.
Regina works as a teacher in St Coleman’s College, Claremorris. and is originally from Westport but she married Tuam man Jason Donoghue, who is well known in local circles for his rugby exploits.
A major fundraising campaign was launched by her family in order to provide the treatment she is receiving in the States and that has accumulated almost €400,000 to date.
But given the uncertainty of the length of the treatment, further fundraising is required which is why several voluntary groups in Tuam have cranked into action.
One voluntary group in Tuam has organised a golf event which will take place in Tuam Golf Club on Friday and Saturday, March 29 and 30, while another has organised a concert with Sean Keane and the Mayo Orchestra on Easter Sunday, April 21.
When Regina’s diagnosis of a rare form of brain cancer became known, an incredible amount of €370,000 was raised in just twelve days.
Her family were thrilled with the response and said that it exceeded their wildest dreams.
While in New York, they say that she will have an individual, tailored treatment plan for her cancer which her sister Adele said ‘is rare and difficult to treat and requires expertise and treatment that just aren’t available in Ireland’.
Her initial treatment will cost in the region of €250,000 but there are also further costs expected as the process progresses.
Time was of the essence and all stops were pulled out to raise the monies necessary for the treatment for the newly married couple who had been looking forward to a fresh start before this current diagnosis.
Husband Jason Donoghue said that his wife is a life-long fan of Sean Keane and thanked him for agreeing to do the concert in Claremorris. He added that her family are huge fans of Sean.
“I know some of Regina’s family and close friends will be in attendance. This concert will go a long way towards helping Regina cover her medical costs and we are all very grateful,” Jason added.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
