Tag Archives: cancer

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 …

THE family of  Kerry teenager Donal Walsh has appealed to  young people to remember his message against suicide, as they face their first Christmas without their son. “This year, we lost a son and a brother. We are heartbroken and at times the future does not seem too bright but at times like this we think of Donal and the life he wanted to live,” Elma, Fionnbar and Jema said. “He would not have wanted us to use his death as an excuse for sadness but more as a motivation to keep his message to cherish living and life. The 16-year-old anti-suicide campaigner from Tralee was diagnosed with a tumour in his leg when he was 12. He underwent numerous treatments to fight the disease but he died at home in Blennerville surrounded by his family. The teenager bravely campaigned against suicide, particularly among teenagers. Hundreds paid tribute to the avid rugby fan on Twitter, with politicians and sports stars describing …

KEVIN Haugh hails from Doonaha and was involved with a running club back in Kilkee during the 1980s. Almost 10 years ago, he was asked back by the club to participate in a running event. When he decided to participate, he was on a high and was feeling great after training. “When I came back from the training I said I’m feeling great and I said I think I’ll keep it up,” he said. However, after showering, he noticed there was a little lump on his neck. He thought nothing too much of it at the time. When he went to his GP, he thought it would be a simple procedure, like removing a mole. “I thought this was going to be an ‘I’ll do that next week’ situation. He put his hand on the telephone and made an appointment with a specialist and I heard him say ‘no I want to see him immediately’. He said to me, ‘I …