A Co Tyrone man is supporting Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal this March as a thank you to those who nursed his grandfather at home in his final weeks.
Cathal McGurk is the driving force behind Marie Curie’s Dungannon fundraising group, which is organising a gala fundraiser once again next weekend at the Glenavon Hotel in Cookstown.
His grandfather, John Barr, died in March 2009. The 71-year-old farmer had cancer and it was his wish that he could remain at home during his final months.
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The 34-year-old was so thankful for the care his grandfather received from Marie Curie’s community nursing service that he raised £3,800 from a charity night he organised. Cathal then joined the Dungannon Marie Curie group in November 2009, and has been a committee member ever since.
He explained: “My grandfather was nursed at home by Marie Curie along with district nurses for several weeks and it was what he wanted as he did not like hospitals. His wife Josie, my Granny died in May 2008, just 10 months before him.
“It was very important for us all for him to be at home as we all could come and go as we pleased to visit him. If we wanted to sit all night, we could do as there was no one to chase us out.
“My mum and her brothers and sisters basically all moved back home for the month before he died and it was good for them to have that special time with Granda.
“What struck us with Marie Curie is that the nurses came in and out and blended so easily with the family. One of them, Rose who did the majority of his care, just fitted in so perfectly with Granda and us.
“She lived near to us and lived in the country so she was a country person and he was a country person. We instinctively felt that he was getting the best care possible during the night sits so we were able to be more relaxed.”
Next Saturday, March 25th will be the 25th time that the ball has been held since the Dungannon Marie Curie fundraising group was formed by Pat O’Kane after the death of his wife Grainne 27 years ago.
Supported by committee members Margaret Gallagher, Ellen Campbell and Kieran Loughran, Cathal hopes the local public will continue to support the ball as they had done in the past.
“We have been overwhelmed with the goodwill and support we have already received in resuming the ball and we know that we are going to throw the best night of them all,” he said.
“Tennent’s are supporting our drinks reception and we have received amazing prizes for our tombola and charity auction and raffle. There will be a superb dinner and music from Reverb so it’s time for everybody to get their glam on and party for a great cause.”
The Covid lockdown restrictions over the last few years meant that the ball was not able to be held but founder Pat is delighted to see its return. He’s happy to hand over the fundraising gauntlet to young accountant Cathal.
“Well done to Cathal and the rest of the committee members for keeping the fundraising group going and for resuming the Marie Curie Ball again after a short hiatus,” he said.
“I’m delighted to see that the Dungannon Marie Curie fundraising group is back again and active as the group has had a long history of raising money for such a vital charity that gives us and our family members fantastic care at home when we most need it.”
Pat, who raised £32,000 for Marie Curie by holding a golf event on his wife’s first anniversary, says the people of Dungannon and surrounding towns have generously supported the ball in the past, raising more than £30,000 on average per ball and attracting 300 guests.
Sheena Havlin, Marie Curie’s community fundraiser for the area, said: “Our sincere thanks to everyone involved in the group over the years, from Pat O’Kane to Cathal, for all their hard work in delivering such fantastic events.
“If you have been supported by Marie Curie and want to support the local group, please buy a ticket and come along for a great time. I’m sure Cathal would love some more people to join the fundraising group so please if you have an interest, get in touch.”
The ball tickets are £50 and are available from the Dungannon Fundraising Group through their Instagram account.
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