Dublin Marathon 2019

There are three of us on this journey, Damien & Adrian Larkin, and Ciaran Murphy.
 

Damien & Adrian’s Story:

On the 3rd April 2018, I (Damien) booked an appointment for my dad Noel Larkin to see our family GP as his stomach had been irritating him for a number of months and he refused to make an appointment himself.  Typical old school Irish man!! A scan showed a tumour in his oesophagus and then we discovered cancer in his stomach and his liver. We tried chemo but unfortunately, he was too sick. The cancer had progressed too far. Our beloved dad passed away peacefully on the 14th July 2018.
 
Whilst saying goodbye to a parent is one of the hardest things we ever had to do as a family, we had 3.5 months to prepare for it. We got to take him to every single appointment, whether it was a scan, chemo or bloods, he never faced one appointment alone. He shared his last laugh, his last cry, his last story (and by God could he tell a story) and eventually his last breath surrounded by his immediate loving family.

Myself & Adrian have decided to run this marathon to raise funds for the Monaghan / Cavan Palliative care unit. They looked after dad in his final days, and it is difficult to put into words how much they helped both dad, our mum and our family. They work with such care and affection to ease the suffering of both the patient and the family. Whatever money we raise will not be enough, but we hope it will help in some way.

 
Ciaran’s Story:

I could have chosen a few hospitals to fundraise for as unfortunately my dad has been in quite a few over the last 18 months. Most recently he spent nearly 4 months in Beaumont hospital and the care and support he got there was second to none. As a result, I have chosen them as the charity I wish to fundraise for. The doctors and nurses were always there for us and made his stay as pleasant as possible. Thankfully he has made a recovery and is currently recuperating at home surrounded by his family.

It’s very exciting to do the race with two lifelong friends, both of whom are fine athletes. Damien & Adrian are both very enthusiastic about their first marathon and have agreed that the two slowest men will add another €100 each to the fundraising pot at the end of the race. Great sports they are; and I’ll do my utmost to keep with them throughout the marathon.

Many thanks for any donations given.