Kilkenny woman calls for community to go all in against cancer this Daffodil Day

Kilkenny woman and Hodgkin lymphoma survivor, Marianne Walsh from Mooncoin, is calling on Kilkenny people to go all in against cancer for the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day, which takes place on Friday, March 22. 

Marianne was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020, at the age of twenty-seven. Marianne went through chemotherapy treatment and is now thankfully doing well.

Reflecting on her cancer experience, Marianne noted that 'the services that are available are so useful'.

"I would encourage anyone affected by cancer, to make use of these supports," she said.

"My cancer experience has opened up my eyes and made me more empathetic towards people. 

"I would encourage everyone to please get out there on Daffodil Day, March 22, and show your support for those affected by cancer in your local community."

The Irish Cancer Society is there to ensure that every person affected by cancer has a place to turn to, the support they need and the hope that there will come a day when no one in Ireland dies from cancer.  

Thanks to the amazing generosity of the Irish public the Irish Cancer Society invests in ground-breaking cancer research and delivers crucial free support services for people affected by cancer, throughout Kilkenny.

In 2023, your generous support provided:

- More than 165 free lifts to bring Kilkenny based cancer patients to their treatment
- Over 110 free counselling sessions to people living in Kilkenny
- Almost 250 nights of free night nursing care to allow cancer patients in Kilkenny to die at home surrounded by loved ones. 

Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power said that 'unfortunately, 1 in 2 of us will get cancer at some point in our lives'.

"There isn’t a family in Ireland that hasn’t been touched by the disease," she said.

"When Daffodil Day first began in 1986, just 3/10 Irish people survived a cancer diagnosis. Today, thanks to investment in innovative cancer research, that has doubled to 6/10 people in Ireland surviving cancer. And we at the Irish Cancer Society won’t stop until 10/10 people survive a cancer diagnosis. But we cannot do that without your support on Daffodil Day.

"We only receive 5% of our income from the government, so we’re urging everyone in Kilkenny to go all in this Daffodil Day to help us achieve a future where nobody dies from cancer in Ireland, and everyone affected by the disease has the support they need when they need it most."

For more information about Daffodil Day visit www.cancer.ie/daffodilday