Sooey to the Showgrounds!

Sooey to the Showgrounds - A fundraiser for Sligo Cancer Support Centre and Sligo Rovers.

My name is Amanda and I will be undertaking a challenging walk to raise funds for both the Sligo Cancer Support Centre and Sligo Rovers. The 15k walk - which is a huge challenge for me after my treatment - will take place on Saturday, August 2nd as my family and friends join me on a walk from our hometown of Sooey to the Showgrounds for a home game against Shelbourne.

I was diagnosed with cancer in September 2023. My treatment journey was intensive - with daily radium and weekly chemotherapy. I started treatment in St Luke's Hospital in Dublin in March 2024 and continuned until June 2024. This involved having to travel to Dublin from my home in Sligo each Monday morning and, following a week of intensive treatment, returning home to my family on Friday evening.

With three children and my husband working fulltime, I don't know how we would have been able to deal with the logistics of attending my treatment without the help of the Sligo Cancer Support Centre.

A bus - funded by the Sligo Cancer Support Centre - picked me up from my front door every Monday morning and brought me to Dublin. This meant my husbnad Peter didnt have to take two days off work to bring me to and from the hospital. It was one less thing to worry about at such a stressful time. I also got to know the other people on the bus and it helped to travel with people who were going throught the same thing as I was. Our driver, Damian, could not have been better and was such a comfort to us all.

The bus provides this service for people travelling from cancer treatment from all over Sligo, Donegal, Leitrim and Roscommon bringing them in comfort to Dublin. This service is provided entirely free of charge and is funded through donations to the charity. I always said that once I got through my treatment I would carry out a fundraiser to support this brilliant cause.

So, why Sligo Rovers?

Sligo Rovers kept our family going through the treatment. It wasn't just about going to games, it was the friends we made at the Showgrounds who gathered around us and supported us at such a difficult time. It gave us something to focus on and is our small way of saying thank you to everyone at our second home at the Showgrounds.