Doing it for Ger!
Get those walking shoes on as the annual Ger Kelly Memorial Walk is set to take place next month.
Now in its sixth year, this year’s walk will look different to the usual walk around the Allihies Loop. For the second year in a row, the annual event in memory of Ger Kelly is going virtual.
That means wherever you are in the world you can take part, from 8-15 August, to raise funds for the Mercy Cancer Appeal and help the organisers, Ger’s wife, Catherine, and children, Aideen and Pete, reach their milestone €20,000 target in memory of their husband and dad, Ger.
When Ger Kelly passed away in 2015 following a long battle with cancer, his wife and children decided to keep his memory alive and also raise funds to support cancer services at the Mercy University Hospital, where he received his treatment.
Since then, they have raised €18,844 and are hoping to reach €20,000 this year.
To help them reach their target, donations can be made online at idonate.ie/CatherineKelly and there will also be a donation bucket in John Terry’s local shop in Allihies.
Speaking ahead of the walk, Catherine Kelly said: “Following Ger’s passing in 2015, we wanted to do something special to remember Ger and celebrate his life. From day one of Ger’s cancer diagnosis, the doctors, nurses and staff at the Mercy University Hospital were fantastic and this meant so much to Ger and our family.
“When Ger passed away, we wanted to give back to the Mercy for their excellent care and decided to create the Ger Kelly Memorial walk. Losing Ger was never going to be easy, but the walk has been a great comfort and something we very much look forward to each year.”
Funds raised by the Kelly family have already been used to purchase furniture for a consultancy room called the Quiet Room in St Therese’s Ward.
All funds raised this year will go towards the Mercy Cancer Appeal, specifically the new St Therese’s Oncology Day Unit.
The new state of the art unit sees the transfer of St Therese’s Medical Oncology Day Service to the Lee Clinic, Lee Road. Complete with 16 private treatment spaces and separate triage and isolation areas, the unit is a big step forward for cancer services at the Mercy and will provide more privacy and comfort for patients.
Thanking the Kelly family and friends for their support, Deirdre Finn, Head of Fundraising at the Mercy University Hospital Foundation said, “I would like to thank the Kelly family and everyone who has supported the Ger Kelly Memorial Walk to date, what they have created and achieved is fantastic. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be a very traumatic experience and we want to do everything we can to provide the best possible support and facilities.”