Cork City Marathon Relay - Appeal for Cancer Survivors to Run

John Quigley and a very special group of runners are taking part again in the 2010 Cork City Marathon Relay. Please read on....

C Team – Cancer Survivors 2010....by John Quigley

C Team – Cancer Survivors is a unique relay team consisting solely of Cancer survivors.  We’ve all been ‘through the mill’ and been given a second chance and ..... we’d like to give something back. 

In 2009, there were six of us on the team; Joe Deane, John Ryan, Dan Byrne, John Quigley, and we doubled up on the last leg with Joe Dineen and Mossie Shanahan. C Team finished in 406^thposition, from 1138 teams, in a time of 4:01:24.

This year, there are only four of us; Marianne Murphy (Endometrial Cancer), John Quigley and Joe Dineen (both prostate Cancer) and Mossie Shanahan (Skin Cancer).  We will be running in distinctive red singlets kindly donated by Maher Sports.  We have one place left on the team, and, if necessary, will make that up between us, but we’d love to hear from other Cancer Survivors who might run with us, no matter how slow they feel they are.  (This is NOT about time!)

C Team – Cancer Survivors main aims are:

1) To raise the profile and awareness of cancer survivors. We're still here and getting on with life. (It may not be easy, but, bugger it, we're dealing with it)

2) To show those facing cancer, whether diagnosed or supporting someone who is dealing with cancer, that we’re getting on with life… and they can too.

3) To give the Medical Professionals who treated us an idea of what their work has achieved.

4) To make contact with other cancer survivors who might join with us in future events and

5) (Maybe) raise a bit of money.

We are running for three charities and hope that you’ll consider donating to one of the charities involved, and also pass the links on to your friends:

Cork ARC, The Irish Cancer Society and Cork Cancer Research.  Alternatively go to mycharity.ie, click on Sponsor a Friend and enter the word Survivor – that’ll bring up the same links.

This year, 30,000 people in Ireland will be diagnosed with Cancer – that’s the size of a large town.  Every one of us knows someone who has been affected by cancer.

If you’d like to get involved with C Team – Cancer Survivors, even if not this year, please contact John Quigley at eagle262@eircom.net or 087-6261178.

[Sadly Dan Byrne, who ran with C Team in 2009, succumbed to his illness on Wed May 12^th2010. He had said that he would be too weak to even walk this year.  Danny was a fighter and a runner, but first and foremost, he was a gentleman.  We will miss him. R.I.P............John Quigley]