Skibb half marathon in aid of Aoibheann's Pink Tie

Hi my name is Aoife, please join me and my sister Rachel in running the Skibbereen half marathon in West Cork this 13th of July!

A little bit about who we are doing this for. Aoibheann's pink Tie is a charitable organization that supports children and their families going through cancer treatment on the island of Ireland. We chose this amazing charity because they were there for our family when we needed it most. Our younger brother Ricky, a young farmer from West Cork was diagnosed with cancer back in 2016 at the age of 10. It was an incredibly long and tough journey for Ricky, but this is when Aoibheann's Pink tie found us. They provided us with support in every way they knew how. The drive from West Cork to Crumlin is not a short one and they proved to be an unbelievable support in such a turbulent time in our life. Be it accommodation for parents, financial aid or even hickman drysuits that allow children the simple pleasure of swimming or even showering, something they may not have been able to do for months. Sadly, Ricky passed away just over 2 and a half years ago due to his illness at the young age of 17. He was a caring, funny and intelligent young man, and even managed to have a fundraiser or two of his own which were massively successful. From having availed of the services himself he understood how important it was for us to do everything we can to help teams like Aoibheann's Dad, Jimmy. Often people don't hear about organizations like Aoibheann's Pink Tie until they themselves or someone they know are in need of it. It was set up back in 2010 in memory of a bright young girl called Aoibheann who sadly passed away at the age of 8. the support this service now provides in her memory is truly invaluable. it's not only the diagnosis that's the hardest part, it's everything that follows. The strain it puts a family under, both financially and emotionally. Now if Ricky could talk to us now I'd imagine it'd be something along the lines of why would you run 21km if you could just hop into a tractor and drive it instead, but he would've understood that charities like Jimmy's don't run on water but the support of the public. I understand Summer can be an expensive time for us all, kids are out from school and holidays are being saved for, with that in mind if it is only a couple euro you have spare or simply a share on social media, anything and everything is appreciated. let's get behind Jimmy and the children of Ireland, who need it most!

Ricky's big sister,

Aoife x