Latest news with #RelayforLife
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
Clare woman details her family's experience with the Irish Cancer Society ahead of Relay for Life 2025 – ‘They were always there for us'
The disease is vicious, yet it unites humanity in a strange way. Cancer knows no difference in age, race, gender, religious beliefs, and doesn't care if you've done good or bad in your life. It also unifies us in a fight for a cure – and the only ways you can help, if you're not a medical professional, are through fundraising, donating, or supporting. One such way communities support the fight for a cure is through Relay for Life. An annual fundraising event organised by the Irish Cancer Society, Relay for Life has been ongoing in Ennis, County Clare, since 2018 – with 2025 marking the sixth event in the Banner County. The Irish Cancer Society describes Relay for like as a 'community fundraising event' to 'raise money for cancer research and support services'. According to the charity, it is a '24-hour event where teams walk or run around a track, symbolising the ongoing fight against cancer, with at least one team member on the track at all times'. The event also includes celebrations for cancer survivors, memorials for those lost to cancer, and opportunities for community members to connect and support each other. Pamela O'Malley and her family got involved with Relay for Life after her husband's experience with cancer and the help they received from the Irish Cancer Society. Tony O'Malley was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2014, a type of cancer which is normally found in children. 'At the time, Tony was 36 and I was 34 with three young kids,' Pamela said. 'So yeah, talk about pulling the rug from underneath us.' After his GP suspected his diagnosis on a Friday afternoon, Pamela said the process of official diagnosis and starting treatment moved quickly. 'On the Friday evening, Tony was admitted to University Hospital Limerick's haematology oncology unit for bone marrow and blood testing,' she said. 'Saturday morning, a consultant came around to see us and confirmed it was as our GP had expected, it was leukaemia. On Saturday afternoon then he was discharged from UHL to be sent straight to St James' Hospital in Dublin. So, it happened fast, all in the space of one weekend. It was a rough enough couple of weeks with him starting his treatment, chemo, drug therapy, and radiation.' 'Tony was basically in Dublin from February until the end of November, between having the chemo, drug therapy, radiation, and he then needed a bone marrow transplant,' Pamela continued. 'Luckily his sister was a match, so he had that on July 31. The first 100 days after the bone marrow transplant are critical, basically, anything that will go wrong will go wrong in those 100 days. So, he was in hospital then until the end of September and then we were moved to an apartment that is… I'm not sure, I think it's kind of owned by the bone marrow trust and used for patients who are not living near the hospital, if that makes sense. So, we lived there for a couple of months.' 'He was then back into the hospital on daily visits to get everything checked, and was admitted if he had a high temperature or any side effects or any illness or bugs or anything presented,' Pamela said. 'When we were in the apartment, even though we were of walking distance to the hospital, after the bone marrow transplant with Tony's immune system being so low and everything, he couldn't really walk anywhere. We did have the availability of a transport system from the Irish Cancer Society, where we could be collected from the apartment and dropped to the hospital and vice versa, which was fantastic. It's a fantastic facility to be offered.' Tony was thankfully on the road to recovery by the end of November 2014 and his hospital visits started getting pushed out from weekly to every two weeks - and now he only has to visit once a month. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'Currently, he's doing great,' Pamela said. 'He still visits St James' Hospital once a month. The team are absolutely fantastic up there. We were very much involved with the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Centre in James's hospital, and their support was phenomenal. It was like, I suppose, a safety net. From the minute we met Tony's medical team in the hospital, the social workers, the Daffodil nurses, and support team were just unbelievable to us. They were always there for us, for questions to be answered, for supports to be put in place for us, they were fantastic. And really, I suppose you never know what's there, or the services that are there for you through these organisations, until you actually need them.' 'Another thing to mention, with the kids being so young and our world turned upside down, we were put in touch with play therapy and counselling services for both the kids, ourselves, and as a whole family unit,' Pamela added. 'It was another fantastic resource that at the time, when you're in the throes of it, you don't think that you'll need - but I suppose it's the aftermath and the children's thinking around it you need to think about. We were put in touch with the play therapy services through the Irish Cancer Society, and we attended our own counselling, myself and Tony, through the Cancer Support Services Centre at UHL.' Pamela and her family started attending the Relay for Life events in Ennis from the first year and this year she joined the committee. 'We attended the event in 2018, and we were absolutely blown away by it, by the sense of community, relating to others who have gone through similar journeys, experiences, you know, meeting other families and kids and the whole lot,' she said. 'It was just unbelievable, to be honest. So, we were very much drawn towards it and looking forward to the next year's event. We would have attended a lot of the meetings over the years, the cheque presentations, the coffee mornings, the mini fundraisers, and community events in preparation for the relay itself. We just got to know the committee members really well, and they asked us if we like to get on board, myself and my sister, who's another cancer survivor, and the two of us said yes.' 'It's amazing to see the community spirit around the relay,' Pamela continued. 'There's an amazing community there, the number of volunteers that step into these roles, that have been and have had and still have family members affected by cancer, that want to give back in some small way possible. Even our kids, like our eldest daughter, she's just home from holidays this weekend, she's coming straight into the relay – she'll throw on her t-shirt and she's ready to pull the sleeves up and work. The kids absolutely love it.' 'Even the rest of the committee in Ennis, they're so facilitating and so thoughtful to every survivor that comes in the gate of Tim Smythe Park at the weekend,' she said. 'You know, until you're there and until you have experienced it, it's very difficult to put into words, but it's just amazing.' Pamela said one of her Relay for Life highlights is sitting in the 'survivors' tent' and having conversations with people who have been on similar journeys to her family. 'I sat there last year and the year before with my husband, and to have a conversation with somebody who has been on a similar journey, who found the chemotherapies gruelling, who found the different treatment plans, just to see that 10 or 15 years later, they're still alive and kicking, and they're flying it, it most certainly does give you hope,' she said. 'Another chapter that we have ahead of us now is that my husband, unfortunately, got graft-versus-host disease in his lungs during his recovery period after the cancer. So, he's now on a the transplant list in the National Hospital since February this year. But even through the Relay for Life, we have met family members and friends of people who have had lung transplants.' 'It's simple conversations that have opened doorways and pathways to know enough people who have come on similar journeys and similar paths, and to know that there is the treatment out there, the research, the work that's being done is Trojan in comparison to years ago,' Pamela continued. 'We've come a long way, I think.' The O'Malley family would like to give a special word of thanks to the Irish Cancer Society, and to all of Tony's medical teams, from his GP to the medical teams in St James', UHL and the Mater Hospital, for their continued care. The Relay for Life Ennis takes place in Tim Smythe Park (Fairgreen) on Saturday, June 21 into Sunday, June 22. This year's line-up of entertainment and activity includes the likes of yoga, face-painting, dance, DJs, choirs, a ukulele group, and more.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Shaw Local Radio Podcast: Talk-Line with Steve Marco interviews Betty Clementz, Relay for Life preview
Jun. 13—Listen to "Talk-Line: Betty Clementz, Relay for Life preview" on Spreaker. The TALK-LINE interview for June 12 featured the Chairperson of the 2025 Sauk Valley Relay For Life event, Betty Clementz, discussing this Saturday's activities at the Westwood Sports Complex in Sterling, from the recognition of those that have participated in past "Relay" events to the "Luminaria" spotlight of those that have lost the fight with cancer, at the 30th annual event benefitting the American Cancer Society. Like what you hear? Be sure to visit WIXN, part of Shaw Local Radio. We're also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NNY Racing Recap: Can-Am returns from Memorial Day break
LAFARGEVILLE, N.Y. (WWTI) – Racing roared back over the weekend after the Memorial Day holiday across the north country. Theresa native Lance Willix picked up the victory over Watertown native Billy Dunn in the 25-lap 358-modified feature. Tyler Meeks, Derek Webb and Remington Hamm rounded out the top five. Mike Fowler collected the win in the 20-lap Sportsman division feature. Frank Sibley, Ryan Shanahan, Tyler Stevenson and Josh Reome finished out the top five. Jon Liberty (602 crate sprints), Michael Greenfield (thundercar) and Eymarah Bowman (limited sportsman) were also winners on Friday, May 31. Can-Am will be back in action on Friday, June 6 with the Pit Crew Showdown. Pits open at 4 p.m. with gates opening at 5 p.m. and racing beginning at 7 p.m. Evans Mills Raceway Park Rain continued to be a problem as Saturday's May 31 program was postponed. The Zeigler 67 race was pushed back until this weekend. June 6: Relay For Life at Evans Mills This weekend's scheduled card will be legends night with the pits opening at 3 p.m. Saturday. General admission gates open at 5 p.m. and racing begins at 6 p.m. This weekend is also Relay for Life weekend at the track with activities going on Friday night. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
South Wales Argus
27-05-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Pontypool Relay for Life 2025 event to take place in July
Pontypool Park will host the 2025 Relay for Life over the weekend of July 5-6, marking a decade of community-driven fundraising for Cancer Research UK. The event, one of only two of its kind in Wales, invites teams, survivors, and supporters to unite in a 24-hour relay to honour those affected by cancer and to raise vital funds for research. The event promises more than just fundraising, with organisers describing it as a "festival of remembrance, hope, and determination." The park will be filled with entertainment, food, music, kids' activities, and moments of reflection. Entry is free and open to all. Since its inception in 2016, Pontypool's Relay for Life has raised over £534,000, supporting cancer research in Wales. The first event exceeded its £20,000 target by raising £61,000, earning recognition as the best first-time Relay in the UK. (Image: Pontypool relay) (Image: Pontypool relay) (Image: Pontypool relay) The event has raised over £232,000 in the past three years alone. The Relay begins at 11am on Saturday, July 5, and continues through the night until 11am on Sunday. Participants take turns walking the track to keep someone on the course at all times—a symbol of the ongoing fight against cancer. One of the standout moments of the event is the Candle of Hope ceremony, held around 9.30pm on Saturday. Hundreds of candle bags—each decorated in memory or support of someone affected by cancer—are illuminated around the park. Team registration is free and open to people of all ages and backgrounds. Most teams include between eight and 15 members, and no running is required. Survivors are the guests of honour at Relay. They open the event with the first lap and are invited to a special survivors' lunch on Saturday. Survivors can register via the Pontypool Relay website or contact the committee for assistance. The event also boasts the UK's first Youth Committee, "Team Pink," launched in 2017. This group of young volunteers works to promote healthy living among their peers and has raised nearly £50,000 to date.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Student-led initiatives take centre stage at Oakridge International School Bengaluru
International Schools across India are increasingly embracing student agency—a transformative approach that places learners at the centre of their educational journey. Oakridge International School Bengaluru has been a forerunner of this methodology as an IB continuum school, empowering students to take ownership of their learning process. "When students feel heard and valued in the school, they become empowered," explains Kavita Sukhani, Principal, Oakridge International School Bengaluru. "Our students graduate from school with everything they need for success – whatever they choose to be or do in life'. The initiatives by the Student Council at Oakridge exemplify how learner agency positively impacts both the school community and society at large. Oak Insider – Digital Community Building Teachers at Oakridge constantly train students on digital etiquette and encourage responsible use of gadgets, which is an essential self-management skill. This academic year, the student-led Instagram page garnered 60,000+ views and 1,000+ interactions, establishing an effective communication channel for school events. OAKMUN – Oakridge Model United Nations Oakridge International School Bengaluru hosted its 9th edition of prestigious Model United Nations, bigger & better as OAK MUN in November 2024. A one-of-its-kind MUN in the city, solely organised by the student leaders, witnessed the participation of 350+ students from 12 schools. The event is expanding to an international level as SEAMEI OAKMUN in September 2025. CASNIVAL – Creativity, Activity, and Service in Action Christmas is when students celebrate the 'Joy of Giving' through CASnival. Students organised food and game stalls, raising ₹1.5 lakhs to support the different charitable causes they are part of. Their efforts contributed to community development and to the Social Impact campaign of Nord Anglia Education. Codefest – Overnight Hackathon The 8th edition of Oakridge Codefest, the prestigious overnight hackathon, witnessed more than 100 participants contesting to secure cash prizes from a pool of ₹ 1.5 lakhs. The student committee successfully secured Adobe as the event sponsor, with the teachers supporting them to independently organise a large event. Relay for Life – Social Impact Campaign This Social Impact initiative, steered by the student-led Social Outreach Committee at Oakridge, successfully raised ₹ 2,20,000 for the activities of the Indian Cancer Society. Students brought together the school community for Relay for Life, an overnight walkathon dedicated to celebrating cancer survivors, honouring the loved ones lost, and raising funds for the work that aids cancer patients. Phoenix Cup – Interschool Sports Competition The interschool sports competition featured basketball, football, and swimming events, drawing around 400 enthusiastic participants from 12 schools across Bengaluru. The event highlighted student independence and autonomy in organising the event and networking with fellow players from different schools. Inter House Activities & Cultural Celebrations Regular house-wise competitions ensure a supportive ecosystem for students to celebrate inquiry and creativity. Throughout the year, the Student Council also organises celebrations for Dussehra, Diwali, Halloween, Winter Spirit Week, Teachers' Day, and Good Luck Party, promoting inclusivity and encouraging cultural appreciation within the school community. 'We are constantly on the lookout for opportunities where the Council can support students and enrich their school experience. This year, one of our key focuses is to strengthen school and student culture by organising a variety of events throughout the year', says Yajwin Krishna, Student Council President (AY 24-25). Speaking of student agency at Oakridge he further added, 'The events are closely aligned with our school's mission and vision, which remain at the heart of all Council initiatives. We have an open environment where students feel encouraged to voice their thoughts and opinions. Our Student Council is truly by the students, for the students'. Sachit Shastri, Student Council Vice President (AY 24-25) echoed the same sentiment. About Nord Anglia Education: As a leading international schools organisation, the institution is shaping a generation of creative and resilient global citizens who graduate from their schools with everything they need for success, whatever they choose to be or do in life. Their strong academic foundations combine world-class teaching and curricula with cutting-edge technology and facilities, creating learning experiences like no other. Inside and outside of the classroom, they inspire their students to achieve more than they ever thought possible. No two children learn the same way, which is why their schools around the world personalise learning to what works best for every student. Inspired by high-quality teachers, their students achieve outstanding academic results and go on to study at the world's top universities. The Nord Anglia global family includes 80+ day and boarding schools in 33 countries, teaching over 90,000 students from ages 3 to 18. To learn more or apply for a place for your child at one of their schools, visit here. For admission enquiries, you can enquire here .
