Galway Bay fm Radiothon raises €175,000 – and money still piles in

The first ever Galway Bay fm Radiothon has raised an incredible €175,000 for Galway Hospice and Cancer Care West – and the cash is still coming in.

The grand total was announced by a clearly emotional chief executive Keith Finnegan live on air on Saturday evening after three days of dedicated broadcasting from the Taibhdhearc.

But it still goes on. “We’ve had another €10,000 come in since we closed the lines – and I’m confident we’ll hit that €200,000 target now,” said Keith this week.

The donations were from €2 up to €2,000 but every cent counted­ – and so many of the donations carried their own story with them.

“There was one man on Friday evening who waited quietly for the numbers to die down, and then he pulled out €800 in cash.

“There was a couple from the city, who had both gone through cancer, who came up to me to tell me that they were living proof of life after cancer ­– and they made a generous donation as well.

“It wasn’t just the recorded interviews that we did ­– I would safely say that over 100 people came up to us over the three days to tell us their own story, how they had coped with cancer; how they had benefitted from Cancer Care West or Galway Hospice. It was a very emotional journey for us all,” said Keith this week.

Those who tuned in heard a succession of heart-felt stories from those who had experienced the care and devotion of staff from both recipient charities at first hand – from those who turned to Cancer Care West as they recovered from this terrible illness to families who were granted the dignity of spending final days with a loved one in the quiet surrounds of the hospice in Renmore.

See full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune.