Age is but a number for Mary Hoare. The 80 year old, who lives in Cork, has signed up for Croí’s Virtual 5km Night Run which takes place on Friday October 8. This is Mary’s second time taking part as she also did the 5km event last year.
Mary was keen to support Croí and the work they do as she has had family members suffer cardiac problems in past. In February 2020, Mary’s son John suffered a heart attack while getting into his car. It was only due to the good fortune of a trained medic who was passing the scene that John was immediately attended to and made a full recovery after a number of months of care. Mary said, “John was very young and fit, then one morning he suffered a heart attack getting into his card and it was a very scary time for him but thankfully he is now fully recovered.”
The 5km distance will not be a problem for Mary as she recently completed both the Women’s Mini Marathon and the Cork Mini Marathon on the same day! The two events had a combined distance of 16km. While earlier this summer she completed 100 Miles in a Month for the Mater Hospital. Mary is also a regular at her local park run in Cork which have recently returned, “They are a great way to get you up and moving, some Saturdays you might not feel like it but once you come back you feel great that you did it.”
Ahead of International Day of Older Persons on October 1st Mary is very keen to encourage people to get up and stay active, “Exercise is a great way to keep active and keep moving, it is also great from a social side. Some older people stay in and don’t move, but I was always active. I am in walking group that meets every Monday and it is great to get out and meet up with people and get some exercise.”
Mary is looking forward to tackling the Croí Virtual Night Run on Friday, October 8th. Join with your family, friends or colleagues to run, walk or jog the 5km distance in aid of Croí.
A message from Christine
Flanagan, Croí’s Director of Fundraising
As we come to the end of this hard year, I hope you and your loved ones are safe, and that you’ll be able to be with each other at Christmas.
Sharon and her husband, Noel
However, Christmas isn’t an easy
time for some.
Sharon used to love Christmas, but she says,
“Ever since my mum
died of a heart
attack, it’s been hard. She was too young!”
Watching a family member
suffer is a heart-breaking experience. That’s why, with
your help, Croí Heart
and Stroke Charity acts as a safe haven to families whose
loved ones have been rushed to hospital for emergency heart or stroke care.
COVID-19 has upended
the entire world,
and Croí is no exception. People with heart
disease who get COVID-19 can be at a much
greater risk. Yet most of the events
that usually support
our work have been cancelled. That’s why, this year, our annual Golden Ticket Raffle campaign is
more important than ever.
Tickets are just €5, with a €5,000 cash
fund. Most importantly, each ticket you sell will help Croí keep families
like Sharon’s together.
Sharon hasn’t only been the terrified
loved one of a patient.
She’s been a patient
fearing for her life, too.
Two years ago, when Sharon was just 40, a cardiac
stress test showed
she had a heart condition so serious her doctor said she shouldn’t even go home.
She was told to go straight to Galway University Hospital for further
tests and evaluation.
At Galway,
it was discovered that Sharon needed
immediate surgery to insert a cardiac stent
to prevent a heart attack.
She was kept in hospital for
her safety.
Sharon was terribly frightened and anxious.
She needed her
family, especially her husband Noel, to be with her. But they lived five hours
away in Donegal. The idea of staying
in an expensive Galway hotel indefinitely with the whole family just added unnecessary stress.
Sharon and Noel
When one of Sharon’s
nurses saw how distressed Noel was to go back to Donegal
so far away, she called Croí. The nurse
knew that, thanks to you, we provide over
100 families a year a place to stay in Galway at the Courtyard Apartments at Croí House, where they can be close to loved ones
during cardiac treatments. These apartments are
funded entirely by donations from
people like you and fundraisers like the Golden Ticket Raffle.
This made all the difference. Noel could be with Sharon all day long, and return to a private
apartment to shower, sleep and recover. And he was able to bring Caitlín,
Sharon’s oldest daughter,
with him from Donegal.
Caitlín told
me, “That meant so much to me. I was unsettled at home in Donegal, with
Mum in the hospital. I felt much
better in Galway with her.”
Sharon’s fears were relieved with
Noel and her daughter nearby.
Sharon’s dad was so grateful for what Croí did for his daughter and her family, he wanted to do his part. He held an epic fundraiser for Croí, driving his 1961 Vintage Tractor from Mizen Head to Malin Head to raise €12,000 to help prevent heart disease!
Tragically, not long after his amazing effort,
Sharon’s dad had a heart attack
himself and passed
away — despite having no prior symptoms. In addition to her grief
about losing a second parent
to heart disease,
Sharon also became
worried about Noel,
who had high cholesterol and high blood
pressure.
So when Croí opened
HeartLink West, a special
telephone helpline, in May, Sharon and Noel called.
Together with the nurses of HeartLink West, Sharon and Noel’s
family came up with a plan to address and improve Noel’s health
concerns. As they need
continued consultation, Sharon’s mind is put at ease, knowing that the support
they need is only a phone call away.
Sharon and Family
The impact of heart disease
on a single family like Sharon’s
shows just how common it is in Ireland, and how critical
Croí’s mission is. Sharon lives every day with the pain of loss, and worries about
her own health. She is terrified for the health
of her loved ones.
She asked me to tell you, “Please do whatever you can for Croí! It’s a great cause!”
What would help so much right now is
for you to help make our Golden Ticket
Raffle a huge success this Christmas. Each ticket costs just €5, and there are so many great cash prizes to win, with a total prize fund of €5,000!
It’s easy to sell tickets to friends, neighbours or work colleagues, and we now have an online option. Just go to www.croi.ie/raffleand enter your unique ID#. You can also buy tickets for yourself or use them as gifts. The raffle takes place on the 21st of December, so there’s time to request more tickets. The more tickets you have, the more chances you have to win amazing cash prizes. And every ticket you sell helps provide education, lifestyle programs, cardiac research, and support services like HeartLink West — as well as a comforting place to stay at Courtyard Apartments for families who are dealing with fear and stress.
You’ll help heart patients and families, too, so please
sell as many Golden Tickets
as you can and return
the funds in the enclosed envelope. Every Golden Ticket counts!
Sincerely,
Christine
Flanagan
Director
of Fundraising
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