Cancer survivor calls on community to sign up for first Relay For Life in Westmeath

This year is the first time there will be a Relay For Life in Westmeath. It is at Tyrrellspass GAA Club on September 20, and registration for teams for the event is now open.

People can now register teams to walk along the track during the 24-hour event, or they can purchase candle bags in advance – the candle bags are in memory of people lost to cancer or to show support to people currently living with the disease, all with personal designs on them.

They’re featured in the Candle of Hope ceremony, which takes place after nightfall, when the candle bags illuminate the relay track in a beautiful show of remembrance and support.

Lisa Fagan, 49, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. The mother-of-two from Mullingar received her diagnosis after she found a lump in her right breast, and further tests revealed she had the BRCA gene.

Lisa said she had an inkling that she had cancer before she even received her diagnosis, and she came to that realisation while in hospital getting a biopsy on her breast.

“When I was lying on the bed and they were doing the biopsy, it was then that I realised that maybe it wasn’t a cyst because they were talking about cancer,” says Lisa.

“I remember feeling a pain in my chest, and tears quietly falling down my face. I had two young children, who were four and 11 at the time, and I was thinking of them. Realising that it probably was cancer was terrifying, it turned my and my husband’s world upside down.”

The treatment that Lisa received included a double mastectomy and fallopian tube removal due to her having the BRCA gene, and also chemotherapy. In August 2018, Lisa received some good news.

“In August 2018, after I had my mastectomy, the doctor said everything was clear and then I could breathe a sigh of relief, and I realised I could build back up after it all.”

In 2023, Lisa was continuing to do well and attended Relay For Life Wexford in memory of a friend who had passed away, and also got involved in the survivors’ aspect of the event.

“One of the girls put me forward for the survivors’ lunch, which is held during every Relay For Life. It was so emotional to be there, and to see so many other people who were survivors too and had come through their cancer experience. When I saw Relay For Life was coming to Tyrrellspass, I signed up right away.”

Lisa’s motivation for being involved in the first ever Relay For Life in her home county is to celebrate survivorship and to remember those who have passed away, and to give back to the Irish Cancer Society to show her appreciation for the support she received through their Volunteer Driver service.

“I used the Irish Cancer Society’s Volunteer Driver service. It’s an amazing service. They drove me up and down to my chemo appointments – I would’ve been lost without that service.

“It saved my husband having to take time off work to take me to my chemo sessions. It meant I could focus on my treatment, and he could the take time off afterwards when I needed him the most. So, I got involved in Relay For Life because I wanted to give something back after experiencing first-hand the difference that the Irish Cancer Society’s services make.”

Looking ahead to Relay For Life Westmeath in Tyrrellspass GAA Club on September 20, Lisa is encouraging the Westmeath community to get behind the moving and emotional event.

“It’s great that we’re able to have a Relay For Life locally in Westmeath for the first time this year,” says Lisa. “It’s not just an event about cancer, it’s about honouring people who have survived and remembering those who have died, supporting the strides being made in cancer research, and showing that we’re all stronger together.

“There’s a place for everyone at Relay For Life, whether you or your family have been directly impacted by cancer, or if you want to show your support for people who have been affected.”

To register for Relay For Life Westmeath, visit Irish Cancer Society.