Cancer survivor praises ‘great’ work of local group

BOOST €165K raised through golf classic

A Ballyjamesduff cancer survivor is urging others to go to their doctor if they have any symptoms of illness.

Jimmy Gaffney is one of many people who avail of the services of the Ballyjamesduff Cancer Support group, which raised more than €165,000 through their golf classic during the Summer to help people like Jimmy. The group provides transport for patients to and from cancer treatment sessions. Jimmy is full of praise for the group and the “great” service their provide.

“You’re collected at your front door, dropped off at the hospital, picked up at the hospital again, and dropped home again”, he said.

The Ballyjamesduff native was diagnosed in early 2023, although the news didn’t come as a big shock.

“I went for tests last December and then went to New York for a few weeks. When I came back, they told me the bad news on January 4, that I had cancer on my voice box. I suspected that something was coming. I lost my voice and sense of taste for about six weeks,” Jimmy revealed.

He said catching his cancer early enabled him to be treated effectively.

“I talked to the doctors, they told me they could cure it, and it gave me great peace of mind. I also spoke to others and they said it was very treatable so it eased my worry. It made a big difference to catch it early. I had stage two, if it was stage four I wouldn’t be here today. It made an odious difference.”

By using the taxi service, Jimmy said he was able to continue his daily routine as much as possible during his treatment.

“I began radiotherapy about a month after getting my diagnosis. It was five days a week for six weeks, it was very intense. I have a sister in Dublin who I could have stayed with, they have a house in Rathgar that I could have stayed in, but the taxi service enabled me to go home.

“I returned to work in my garage in Ballyjamesduff on the day I got my diagnosis. If I was getting treatment early, I could work in the evening and vice versa. Working took my mind off the cancer, all of which the service enabled me to do.”

The service was a great comfort to Jimmy’s family, and thankfully the treatment also worked well.

“It took a lot of pressure off my wife Geraldine. We have two children Aishling and Declan who both live abroad. I had a check-up three weeks after the treatment and, after six more weeks, I had a scope up my nose and the doctor said ‘My God, there’s nothing there’.”

Jimmy said the news gave him both a massive boost and massive relief.

“I was overjoyed. I don’t know how to describe it, there are no words that would do it justice. I rang my daughter Aisling coming down the M50. It’s better than winning the lotto. Money is no good to you if you don’t have your health. It really is your wealth. I took that saying lightly before, but now I know your health is everything. I have MRIs, Cat scans and a few check-ups going forward.”

Bitter sweet

Adrian ‘Laz’ McCabe who is part of the fundraising committee spoke about how the event grew beyond what they could imagine.

“We very quickly moved our targets from €50,000 to €80,000 to €100,000 and then it kept going from there. We had a lot of help from different companies in the area. We sent them all letters looking for support and they all came back with support. Farrells’ Pub, Crover House, Noel Brady New York and McCabe Group all gave huge funding. The money will give a massive boost. We hope to run a golf classic every year to keep it topped up. We had a presentation night in Farrells’ pub and it was a great night.”

However the night was tinged with sadness as one of their key members passed away suddenly between the event taking place and the presentation.

“One of our members who helped drive it on was Pete Cahill, who died suddenly. He was our driving force, when we set a target he would always aim higher. It was a great night, but it was also very sad. We made him proud on the night, it was great to have his family there representing him.”