Santa Cause campaign to support Mayo centre for children with cancer

CANCER Fund for Children are working hard this festive season to help raise funds for children and young people in Ireland who face a cancer diagnosis.

The charity specialises in providing emotional and practical support and is raising funds to build a new therapeutic centre in Cong, in south Mayo, for children with cancer and their families.

Cancer Fund for Children currently offers families impacted by childhood cancer the opportunity experience therapeutic short breaks at their centre, Daisy Lodge, in Co. Down. Here they can escape from the realities of cancer and enjoy time together in a relaxing environment.

Many families have expressed the benefits and importance of the short break they received in helping them cope with a child’s cancer diagnosis as a family. However, Cancer Fund for Children can only provide a short break for one in seven families.

The demand exceeds the charity’s resources and that is why they have made the decision and have plans to build a second therapeutic short break centre in Cong.

Some €12.5 million is needed to build a new Daisy Lodge in Co. Mayo which will allow Cancer Fund for Children to double the number of families they provide essential therapeutic breaks for. A cause worth supporting and one that will benefit many families in Ireland.

The charity is calling for people to get behind their Santa Cause campaign to help them raise vital funds.

Anna Mae Doyle (12), who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma last year, said: “In July this year, we went to Cancer Fund for Children’s Daisy Lodge in Newcastle, Co. Down, for a short break. Daisy Lodge made me feel so relaxed. All I was thinking about was going outside, being there with my family, and having the best time I could possibly have. It was just magical!

“This Christmas, I wish every child with cancer in Ireland could get to experience Daisy Lodge, not just one out of seven.”

There is no better way to show you care this Christmas than helping Cancer Fund for Children ensure no child faces cancer alone. Support Cancer Fund for Children’s Santa Cause donate today at https://cancerfundforchildren.ie/.