Renata Steffens
A Cavan woman facing a rare cancer won the Audience Choice Award at the Outsider.ie Olly O’Neill Most Inspiring Person 2024 awards. Brenda O’Keeffe is battling an incurable form of bone marrow cancer but hopes to run her 600th marathon by June this year.
It was Ms O’Keeffe’s brother who nominated her for the Outsider.ie’s award. The award recognises normal Irish people who, despite being faced with difficulties, go above and beyond to encourage others to share their love for outdoor and adventure pursuits.
Ms O’Keeffe was diagnosed last August at the University College Hospital in London. She had been having a series of spontaneous bleeds to her neck, liver and spleen and spent months in hospital, but the doctors couldn’t find the exact cause of her illness. She was then diagnosed with Amyloidosis AL of the heart, kidney, liver, bone marrow and spleen.
She told the Anglo Celt she hopes to inspire others suffering with an illness to look beyond their diagnosis.
Waterford woman awarded the Benemerenti Medal
A Waterford woman was awarded the Benemerenti Medal for her services with church choir. Mae McGrath was presented with the Papal medal in recognition of her work and services provided to the choir in Ballybricken Church. She was awarded alongside member of the choir and her family.
The Benemerenti Medal is an award presented by the Pope to clergy and laity to recognise their services to the Catholic Church.
The current version of the medal was designed by Pope Paul VI and is a gold Greek Cross picturing Christ with his hand raised in blessing. On the left arm of the cross is the tiara and the crossed keys symbol of the papacy. On the right arm is the coat of arms of the current Pope.
Over €20,000 raised for Cork boy with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Over €20,000 raised for 12-year-old boy diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In Cork. Elliott McLoughlin was diagnosed in December 2024 and has been undergoing intense treatment at Crumlin Hospital and Cork University Hospital.
The boy’s father, Conor McLoughlin is recovering from a stroke he suffered in 2019, and the mother Franziska is unable to work, as she needs to care for both, her husband and son. The fundraiser had an original target of €3,000 but raised more than €22,000 so far.
In the fundraising description, Nina Rath, who set the GoFundMe for the family said: “The family’s main goal is to get Conor back driving, as he has not been able to drive since his stroke. This would be life-changing, providing the independence they desperately need to manage hospital visits, school runs, and daily life while Elliott is undergoing treatment.
“To make this possible, the family needs to cover the costs of insurance, motor tax, and any necessary vehicle modifications. This is their top priority, as it will greatly improve their ability to support Elliott and maintain some semblance of normalcy.”
The family said that any extra funds raised by the GoFundMe will be donated to Childhood Cancer Ireland, Cork University Hospital and Children’s Health Ireland in order to support other families faced with similar challenges.