Remembering Christina every step of the way ahead of Mayo Pink Ribbon event next Saturday
by Shauna Feerick
“With every step I take and with every turn of the pedal I will have Christina in my heart.”
These were the poignant words spoken by Bríd Touhy-Ward on her motivation for taking part in this year’s Mayo Pink Ribbon 300k Your Way fundraising event.
Christina Irwin (née Tuohy), aged just 55, very sadly passed away on February 25 last, a very short seven months after being diagnosed with cancer.
Her passing evoked immense sadness and sorrow in her home place of Rosserk, Ballina, and her native Breaffy and surrounding area.
And, of course, nowhere more so than amongst her own family, her heartbroken husband Gabriel, her children Claire, Jack, Ailbhe and Frank, her siblings and their immediate families.
Bríd is one of Christina’s four sisters and two brothers.
She described Christina to me as ‘the kindest person I will ever know, she was so loving and so generous with her time and her energy’.
“She took part in so many charity events over the years and helped so many people, both in her role as a nurse and in her involvement with the community.
“I was so proud of her always and I believe she would be proud of me too for supporting this great fundraising event,” she said.
Mayo Pink Ribbon 300k Your Way is an innovative event which brings participants on a virtual 300km journey around the beautiful county of Mayo while raising vital funds for breast cancer research. Participants can cover the journey in lots of different ways.
They can walk, cycle, step or run in their own local area, adhering to all travel guidelines, and they combine the distances covered to reach the finish line.
In doing so they follow a breathtaking virtual route showcasing the beauty, landscape and history of the county.
The 300k Your Way challenge is being held in place of the annual Mayo Pink Ribbon Charity Cycle which usually takes place on the Saturday of the May bank holiday weekend.
Since its inaugural event in 2010 thousands of cyclists have taken part and to date over €1.14 million has been raised for breast cancer research at the National Breast Cancer Research Institute, NUI Galway.
For more, see https://www.breastcancerresearch.ie.
Bríd is participating in the event with her great friend, Breege O’Donnell-Chambers.
Breege has worked for many years in the oncology department in Mayo University Hospital and explained to me why Mayo Pink Ribbon is a charity very close to her heart.
“In my work I meet people affected by cancer every day – not just the patients themselves but their families too.
“I get to know lots of them really well and I see first hand the devastating effects a cancer diagnosis can have on a family. I’ve had some terribly sad days at work but likewise I’ve had many great days too.
“The impact research has on improving the treatments available to cancer patients cannot be underestimated and I am delighted to be able to do anything I can do to support this.”
Breege went on to say that she is doing this year’s event in honour of everyone she has known that has sadly passed away from cancer.
The two ladies told me of their long-term involvement with Mayo Pink Ribbon.
They took part in the very first cycle in 2010 and have been involved every year since. They both strongly agreed that they ‘get more out of it than they put in’.
They look forward to the May bank holiday weekend of every year, when the Mayo Pink Ribbon cycle would usually take place.
And while it is a different event this year they will both be out on Saturday clocking up a few more kilometres to put towards their 300km total.
Donations to their fundraising efforts can be made at https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11402439_breege-o-donnell--s-page.html.
Bríd finished by sharing some more precious memories of Christina.
She was a keen cyclist herself and completed the Mayo Pink Ribbon cycle many times, often with her cycling club the Lisheen Cooneal Crossmolina Cycling Club, who paid a touching tribute to Christina on her passing.
"Christina was a shining light in the group, our sunshine, with a wonderful heart and beautiful kind nature and spirit, an absolute diamond.”
Bríd also told of Christina’s involvement with the Order of Malta, Belleek Enhancement Committee and Culleens National School board of management.
She took children from Chernobyl into her home. In short, she was a giver all of her life, she took joy in sharing love and kindness with others.
Both Bríd and Breege finished by saying: “It’s our turn now to do what we can to help others have the best chance to overcome this devastating disease.”
Mayo Pink Ribbon would like to thank Bríd and Breege and all of their supporters over the years for ongoing phenomenal fundraising efforts.
Lourda McHugh, founder of Mayo Pink Ribbon, says every euro raised will go directly to funding research at the National Breast Cancer Research Institute.
“One in nine women in Ireland will get breast cancer in their lifetime and the ground-breaking work being done in research, particularly in the areas of early diagnosis and specifically tailored treatment plans, means we can now aspire to a future where a breast cancer diagnosis is no longer so frightening,” she stated.
If you would like to support this year’s event you can sign up on http://www.mayopinkribbon.ie or log on to make a direct donation.