Support young cancer patients
Many people will be donning swimwear and braving the waters for the annual Danny Crowley Christmas Swim.
Last year the swim was 100 per cent virtual over the Christmas holidays but prior to that friends gathered on Myrtleville Beach every Christmas morning.
This year the choice is yours, do what works for you! Enjoy a dip near or far when it suits you and your friends or join a smaller crew on Myrtleville Beach at 10.30am on Christmas Day.
When Danny passed away after a long battle with leukaemia in 2013, his friends and family set up the Danny Crowley Christmas Swim. This was their way to remember him and at the same time raise funds for the Mercy Kids & Teens Appeal.
Since then, they have been joined by more people every year wanting to kick off their Christmas morning by taking a dip in the sea and supporting the Mercy Kids & Teens Appeal. They have raised a phenomenal €130,000 since 2013 to support the youngest patients at the Mercy University Hospital.
Last year over 600 people from near and far took place in the virtual swim. Prior to that over 400 people braved the elements on Christmas Day morning. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the organising committee is calling on people to take a dip in the water anytime, anywhere, during Christmas week.
Danny’s mom, Majella, said she is extremely proud of how much the swim has raised since 2013: “The Mercy Paediatric Outreach Oncology Nursing Service (POONS) and the entire team in the Children’s Leukaemia unit provided invaluable support to Daniel and our family when Daniel was undergoing his treatment. They went the extra mile and we all appreciated the huge difference it made. We want to ensure other families can continue to avail of this service.”
The virtual swim is easier than ever to get involved in as participants can pick a time and place that suits them over Christmas. The option of the physical swim still exists on Christmas morning assuming Government restrictions still allow.
Fundraising pages can be set up online at idonate.ie/DannyCrowleyXmasSwim for family and friends to support. This link can also be used by anyone who wants to make a one off donation.
All funds raised will go towards the Mercy Kids & Teens Appeal which supports the youngest patients at the Mercy Hospital by providing services such as the Paediatric Oncology Outreach Nursing Service (POONS). This service allows children with cancer to receive their treatment in the comfort of their own home. The service is even more important during the Covid-19 pandemic and is helping to keep these young patients safe.
Olga Buckley, Paediatric Oncology/ Haematology CNS at The Mercy said: “Being able to deliver a home-based option to sick children, has helped enhance their quality of life. The Covid-19 pandemic has now made this service absolutely necessary. Our young cancer patients are considered within the critically vulnerable group as their treatment, including chemotherapy, causes immunosuppression. The POONS service will help these patients to stay at home and keep them safe in the months ahead.”