Cashel Palace staff show support to fellow hotelier who lost wife to pancreatic cancer

Cashel Palace staff have shown support to fellow hotelier, Niall Rochford, who lost his wife to pancreatic cancer.

To shine a light on pancreatic cancer, Cashel Palace in Tipperary is supporting Ashford Castle's Niall Rochford in raising awareness on Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day, this Wednesday. To show their support, they will light up their hotel in purple. 

Pancreatic cancer kills 5 in every 6 people diagnosed in Ireland. A stark statistic that hotelier Niall Rochford hopes will highlight the need for greater visibility and understanding of the disease and its symptoms. 

When Niall's wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2022, he could never have imagined the sudden and devastating impact the disease would have on his family. 

By the time Stella received her diagnosis, the cancer was already at an advanced stage, and she died just eight weeks later, leaving Niall and their three children to mourn the untimely loss of a beloved wife and mum.

“I want to save as many families as possible from the trauma and devastation we have experienced and that starts with awareness of this deadly disease that ruins so many lives,” said Niall.

Niall Rochford has joined forces with Pancreatic Cancer Ireland, survivors of pancreatic cancer and medical experts to raise awareness of the disease so that any chance of increased early detection can lead to better outcomes for other families and their loved ones. In comparison to other cancers, pancreatic cancer has a shockingly low survival rate.

Pancreatic cancer is not one of the more commonly diagnosed cancers but unfortunately it is one of the leading causes of cancer related death worldwide. While people may have few symptoms in the early stages of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Professor Aisling Barry, Chair of Radiation Oncology at University College Cork suggests that if anyone experiences one or more of six key symptoms to consider seeking further medical care.

The key symptoms are tummy pain or back pain, digestive problems (poor appetite, indigestion, nausea), jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) and/or itchiness, noticeable change in bowel habits (light-coloured or floating stools), a new diagnosis of diabetes or diabetes that’s getting harder to control, as well as unexplained weight loss. 

Professor Barry explained: “While of course these symptoms in isolation may have other causes, it’s important that people are alerted to their potential association with pancreatic cancer, particularly if there is a family history of the disease. While many of the symptoms might only develop as the disease progresses,  people can empower themselves to seek further medical input by being aware of their family medical history and by knowing these potential symptoms.”  

With purple the symbol of the pancreatic cancer awareness cause, Niall thanked his industry colleagues who didn’t hesitate in lending their support to the campaign, joining Ashford Castle and The Lodge at Ashford Castle by lighting up their hotels in purple to mark Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day. 

The hotels who took part in the campaign are Adare Manor in Limerick, Dromoland Castle in Clare, Trump Doonbeg in Clare, Killarney Park Hotel in Kerry, Hayfield Manor in Cork, The K Club in Kildare, as well as The Merrion Hotel in Dublin.