Marathon runner hands over €5k to palliative care
When Jason Taylor crossed the finish line at the Dublin Marathon last October he gripped tightly a key chain containing a photograph of his late granddad Phil McDermott, a larger than life character who loved his family dearly.
Phil from Drumnaveil, Maudabawn, sadly passed away in October 2023.
He had suffered from heart trouble in his latter days, but his health difficulties in those final days were eased by the support of the Cavan Monaghan Palliative Care Fund.
In response to the “care and the dignity” afforded to his grandfather, Jason set about training for the Dublin Marathon and just before Christmas met with Jimmy O Donnell of Cavan Monaghan Palliative Care to hand over a cheque for €5,746, money raised by him as a “small thanks” for the incredible work the team does in the locality.
“I just wanted to do something to raise money for the Cavan Monaghan Palliative Care Fund because it’s such a good cause,” says Jason, who completed the run in three hours and 46 minutes.
He presented the cheque to Mr O’Donnell alongside his grandmother and Phil’s wife Roseann.
His grandfather Phil, towards his end of life, benefitted from care supported by Cavan Monaghan Palliative Fund.
“One in particular was a family friend, Martina Marron. She was brilliant,” remembers Jason who says he had done “a bit of running” prior to training properly.
“Historically the same as everyone, the odd five kilometres here or there, and during Covid, but then I did a half marathon in July.”
Jason completed the Termonfeckin Half Marathon in mid-July in one hour and 44 minutes.
For him seeing the Palliative Care team help his granddad was a “learning” curve.
Admittedly, like many, he “didn’t know an awful lot of about palliative care” and previously assumed it only applied to cancer patients.
The care provided didn’t just offer comfort to Phil, but also eased the pressure on wife Roseann and the wider family.
“The care and the dignity they give people. I think that’s the most incredible part of the work these nurses do. It’s really important that people get that in their final days.”
He says of crossing the finish line with his granddad Phil foremost to his mind: “I had the keyring in my hand, his initials on my t-shirt. It’s 26.2 miles but, because you don’t always take the shortest route in a marathon, you end up maybe doing 500 or 800 metres more. But I had him with me the last couple of kilometres, when the pain really started to kick in, I had him there with me.”