Cahir boy in cancer challenge tribute to his late mother

Jack Joyce, an inspirational nine-year-old boy, is playing a leading role for the Irish Cancer Society to raise funds for cancer research.
Jack, who lost his mother Audrey to breast cancer last year, has undertaken a walking challenge in her memory.
The Cahir boy, is taking on the 9,000 steps a day challenge with his father Dermot, in the month of March, leading up to National Daffodil Day on Friday March 25.
On behalf of the Irish Cancer Society Jack is encouraging others to take part in the walking challenge to commemorate the 9,000 lives lost to cancer each year.
“I’m doing the walk because I want to bring the memories of her all to the one place, she is never gone, she is still in my heart and my head,” said Jack who asked people to support National Daffodil Day.
Jack saw the challenge as the perfect way to take part and take back from cancer as the Irish Cancer Society is asking people to do for its Daffodil Day fundraiser this year.
Jack said he was doing the walk to help raise money for the Irish Cancer Society so that they can help other families who find themselves in the same position as they di d when his mother passed away.
“I’d like to give a big shout out to some people who have helped me including my teacher Ms Hanly, my friends Dean and Jake and some of my school friends, my cousins, my aunty Therese, my uncle Patrick, and a few others, and a big thank you to all the people who are donating to my fundraiser,” said Jack.
DIGNITY
Jack’s dad Dermot said he was very proud of Jack.
“Audrey was an amazing lady who always made time for everyone. She had an incredible strength of character, and bore her illness with great dignity right to the very end, even amid all the difficulty of the pandemic. I can’t put into words how proud I am of Jack, not just for doing this fundraiser in her memory but for how he has handled everything through such a difficult time, and how he cared for and helped his mum when she was unwell. He really is my little hero,” said his father Dermot.
VITAL SERVICES
On top of supporting life-changing cancer research, the Irish Cancer Society provides vital services to patients and their families in Tipperary each year, including supporting over 770 counselling sessions, over 400 nights of in-home night nursing for patients in their final days and more than 330 volunteer driving lifts to get patients safely to and from their hospital appointments in 2021.
As Daffodil Day returns to the streets of Ireland for the first time since 2019 on March 25, the Irish Cancer Society is calling on the public to take part in any way they can to show solidarity and support for anyone affected by cancer.
As well as donating at Cancer.ie and volunteering to help fundraise, they can purchase items from the Daffodil Day online shop and take part in a steps challenge.
DAFFODIL DAY
Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power said: “We are so excited to be able to get out on the streets again to see the amazing support the people of Ireland show to anyone affected by cancer. Daffodil Day is such a special and hopeful day for our entire community. Throughout the pandemic we’ve been so lucky that people have found innovative ways to support us but we are looking forward to seeing Ireland turn yellow once again on March 25.