Jon Hynes: ‘I did this for Alayne’
A Cork man has successfully kayaked along the county’s entire rugged coastline on his own to raise funds for a local cancer charity.
Jon Hynes undertook the challenge for Cork ARC Cancer Support House having seen first-hand the support the charity offers to patients and their families.
In 2019, the experienced sea kayaker’s wife Alayne was diagnosed with breast cancer, after which Jon immediately vowed to use his skills to “pay back” all of the support he knew his wife would need. The journey took Jon an exhausting 4 days, 19 hours and 22 seconds to complete, taking in about 253 kilometres of glorious Cork coastline in the process. This was all done during the warmest weather of the year.
Speaking about the experience, Jon said the final 2 sections of the effort were probably the toughest but most rewarding: “The headwinds made for a big physical effort and one which I enjoyed immensely. I did this for Alayne, who is my best supporter. She trusts me every day on the water and allows us to be the best we can be out there.”
What struck Jon most during Alayne's treatment program was the strength and courage she and many other women drew from the range of support services provided by Cork ARC.
He continued: “The gratitude that I feel towards everyone across all the medical services in helping my wife survive breast cancer runs deep. In particular, I want to acknowledge by my kayaking paddle strokes just how much I appreciate Cork ARC, their fantastic team and their range of services.
“Cork is a beautiful place to live and thrive, but it is comforting to know that services like Cork ARC House are there when someone has a cancer battle on their hands. For this journey, I draw a lot of inspiration from Alayne and the 'Ladies who Launch', a fabulous and growing group of women in survivorship from cancer who Kayak weekly, and I hope my efforts will serve to benefit many other women with access to support services.”
Since it was established in 2003, Cork ARC Cancer Support House has provided help, information and support to people with cancer and their families. Services include counselling, group therapies, physical therapies, bereavement support, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and art therapy. Services are provided by qualified experts in oncology, clinical treatment and physical/mental therapies, as well as from a network of volunteers, many of whom have been through their own cancer journey.
The centres in Cork and Bantry have become a safe haven for people with cancer and their families. Last year, they supported 1,525 people whose lives were affected by cancer and expect this number to increase in 2022.
Cork ARC relies almost entirely on public support in order to continue its services free of charge.