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Tag Archives: cancer

Pakie gets Newmarket running again

THE Ryan family in Newmarket endured a very difficult emotional rollercoaster in the spring of 2009. The birth of Abbey Ryan, the first granddaughter in their extended family, on March 3, 2009 brought great joy to everyone. However, the death of her father, Pakie, (34) in early April, left a cloud hanging over the entire family. The sports fanatic and Newmarket character would have been 40 on Monday, January 26. During his illness, Pakie received great support from his wife, Frances, relatives, friends and the local community. His father, Christy recalls Pakie repeatedly said there were people much worse off than him, even in the middle of his cancer battle. Two or three years after his death, it struck Christy that Pakie had 34 years of happiness, he was never sick and never in hospital. Frances describes the spring of ’09 as a “battle of emotions”, which was a bit too much for everyone to take in, as there was …

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Hairdresser wigs out for cancer patients

AN Ennis hairdresser has come up with an idea that’s a cut above the rest in a bid to ease the trauma of cancer patients who have lost their hair. Ken Bradley, based at Barracks Court on Barrack Street in Ennis, is asking people to donate good unwanted wigs which will be restyled and given to cancer sufferers. Ken said he and the rest of his team at the salon were inspired by the recent wave of ‘no make-up’ selfies that have raised money for the Irish Cancer Society. Having survived cancer himself, Ken told us he was “shocked” at the cost of good wigs, describing the price as “atrocious”. He explained, “I’m three years free of cancer now but, since I had it, I have met through my salon a lot of people who are cancer survivors, mostly women. Unfortunately, hair loss is a side-effect of chemotherapy. I didn’t have to go through that, I had radiotherapy. But the …

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Ennis man heads up Roche plant in Clarecastle

RECENT investments in the manufacture of new healthcare products at the Roche ( Ireland Ltd ) plant in Clarecastle, will support its parent company in retaining its position among the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies. Ennis man, Gerry Cahill, who is managing director of the Clarecastle operation, said since the beginning of the year, they have been manufacturing Madapor, which is used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and later on this year will commence making the newer drug Zelboraf, aimed at treating people with advanced melamoma skin cancer. The latest developments have been welcomed by the 245 Roche employees in Clarecastle, in addition to the significant number of contractors, who have been taken on to support the new products. Mr Cahill told The Clare Champion that one of the reasons Roche was selected by its parent company for the manufacture of Madapor and Zelboraf was because of the reputation which the Clarecastle site enjoys, as being a very reliable …

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Pharmacists join quit smoking programme

A NATIONWIDE quit smoking pharmacy service for the public has been launched by the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly. Smoking, and related illnesses, is a major public health issue with 5,200 people dying in Ireland from diseases caused by tobacco use every year. 1 in every 2 smokers will die from smoking-related diseases. The service, which is available in community pharmacies nationwide from Ash Wednesday, is supported by the Irish Cancer Society and the HSE. As part of the service, pharmacists will assist smokers by giving advice on quitting and the health-related benefits. Pharmacists can also give accurate information and advice on options for quitting, including nicotine replacement therapies, which have been proven to double smokers’ chances of success. “This is a great initiative by pharmacists who are using their training and skills to help smokers make that quit attempt. Let there be no doubt – the single best thing a smoker can do for their health is to …

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Hey ref, it’s for charity

A REQUEST made to members of the national GAA referees panel to highlight an awareness of cancer Clare referee Rory Hickey had his head shaved at the Éire Óg clubhouse. “Back in the autumn, the members of the national referees group were asked to do something to heighten an awareness of cancer. Some of the lads participated in a fundraiser in November and others are doing their project now,” the Ennis man told The Clare Champion. “In conjunction with Micheál Malone from D Barber shop in Francis Street, we decided to participate in a shave and dye project,” explained the Éire Óg GAA clubman, who had his head dyed on Monday last. At Thursday’s event, Rory and Micheál completed the project. “Unfortunately, everyone we speak to has a cancer-related story. Even in our own club, we have had some cancer-related losses over the years,” said Rory, adding that he lost an uncle to cancer in the not too distant past. …

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The other side of smoking

By Owen Ryan YOU may not have heard of Forest Éireann before, a group that labels itself ‘The Voice of the Smoker in Ireland’. Representative John Mallon is currently touring the country to fight against plain packaging for tobacco products and when he came to Ennis on Tuesday, he introduced some of his arguments, some of them rather bizarre, to The Champion. At one stage he likened the treatment of smokers in Irish society to that of Jews under the Nazi regime, while he made some claims about the role of smoking in cancer which wouldn’t tally with the views of experts. Forest Éireann receives funding from tobacco companies, which is hardly surprising given some of his comments, but he says he doesn’t personally benefit from his campaigning and isn’t an employee of the group. He took up the cause around the time that the ban on smoking in the workplace was coming in. “Back in 2003 I was sort …

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New cancer information booklet

EIGHT out of 10 cancer sufferers had to give up employment or change their work hours due to fatigue, a study undertaken by Sláinte an Chláir has shown. Details of the study are contained in a new information booklet, developed by members and friends of Sláinte an Chláir, which will be officially launched at Waterpark House, Ennis next Thursday at 2pm. Anyone affected by cancer on an individual basis or those who have family members affected by the condition are welcome to attend the launch. The Kilnamona centre helps people to access information on all aspects of cancer, including diagnosis, treatment and after care, as well as providing practical support for people and their families. “Meeting people who have been through a similar experience can definitely help to make the journey with cancer a little easier. Our members and friends are very happy to share their experiences and to support people affected by cancer,” said a spokesperson. The booklet provides …

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Fighting cancer on film

A woman with a strong connection to North Clare is hoping to return after tackling cancer in both her own personal fight and as the subject of a newly-released documentary. Filmmaker Allison W Gryphon is obtuse when asked where she is from. She is hesitant, maybe uncomfortable, in her response. She was born in New York. She is a child of divorced parents and moved house a lot. Home? “I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area,” she says. She now lives in Los Angeles. When she visited North Clare for a week before Christmas 2008, Allison was researching a book. If she was also searching for that elusive concept of ‘home’, she didn’t know it. That is perhaps why when she touched down in Heathrow Airport a week later on her way back to the United States, she was blindsided with the flood of emotion that overcame her. “The night I was meant to go on a plane …

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