Run for Paul

I learned about Paul’s situation two weeks ago in an article shared by Belfast Live.

I know these last few months have been toughfor everyone but imagine being diagnosed with cancer five months after getting married, being isolated from your wife for 13 weeks and finding out three weeks into your treatment that your going to be a Dad!

It’s just devastating!

I will be running 5k every 5 hours for 48hours to raise awareness of this awful disease but more importantly to help raise money to support Paul and his wife through this extremely difficult time

Please help me do this by donating, and sharing this page.

Ive attached pasted the article about Paul’s story below so have a read and and donate whatyou can please.

When Paul Dornan married the love of his life in October 2019, he was on top of the world, embarking on a whole new chapter of his life with his wife Katie.

But just five short months later, the West Belfast couple's world was turned upside down when Paul was given the sudden and shock diagnosis that he had leukemia.

Having felt unwell for a number of days in March this year, Paul contacted his friend, Kieran McCormick, a Registered nurse, seeking some advice. After Kieran told him to get in touch with his GP, Paul was told to self-isolate for a week as a precaution.

When his symptoms hadn't improved after a week. his GP advised he go straight to a local Covid-19 testing centre, but on arrival at the centre, the 31-year-old collapsed at the doors and was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital.

"He literally collapsed as he walked through the doors, they phoned an ambulance and he went straight to the Royal and he was all on his own as you have to go to those Covid-19 centres on your own," Kieran explained.

"After a number of tests, three or four hours later Paul was told he had leukaemia, he was totally alone, with no support due to everything that was going on with Covid, we were at the height of lockdown at the time.

"So when he left his house that day to go and get tested, he didn't see Katie or his family or friends for 13 weeks due to the restrictions, so he was so isolated and having to deal with this on his own."

Three weeks into his treatment at the Cancer Centre, Paul received a phone call from his wife Katie to tell him that he was going to be a dad, with their daughter due to arrive in December 2020.

Kieran added: "Everything is just up in the air at the minute and he has obviously been out of work since taking sick and it's bittersweet I suppose that three weeks into his hospital admission Katie phoned him to tell him she was pregnant.

Obviously the news for a newly married couple would be amazing, and they are over the moon but they are still worried about how everything will play out.

"He's in hospital 24-7 and isn't allowed visitors Katie is at home so he hasn't been able to be able to be part of the pregnancy with her, it's really hard on them."

"He also probably won't be able to be at the birth which is really tough to take, even if we weren't going through Covid I don't think he would be at the birth anyway due to his illness and that's just heartbreaking, it goes from bad to worse."

Having undergone several months of intense chemotherapy treatment, Kieran said his friend still has a 'rough road ahead' of him.