Mayo man running marathon for breast cancer charity in memory of late wife
Liam Gilmore is preparing to run the Dublin Marathon for the National Breast Cancer Institute.
A Swinford father of two, who ran his first marathon in April in memory of his late wife Emily and raised over €22,000 for charity is preparing to run the Dublin Marathon for the National Breast Cancer Institute.
Liam Gilmore, who lives in Wiltshire England, is the youngest of seven siblings and his brothers Ray, the Swinford GAA chairman, and Seamus still live in the Meelick area.
Emily, aged 40, was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2021 and she sadly died six months later.
Liam will complete the Dublin Marathon on October 29 in support of the National Breast Cancer Institute Ireland.
“This April I ran my first ever marathon in memory of my wife Emily who died last year of breast cancer,” he added.
Liam stated that in September the couple’s eldest daughter Freya started school and their second daughter Margo celebrated her second birthday.
“When faced with her secondary diagnosis these were the special life moments Emily longed to live for,” he said. “Research matters and while one in seven women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime the prognosis for women diagnosed with early invasive breast cancer has improved substantially since the 1990s.
Liam said huge improvements have been made in terms of diagnosis and treatment which means that most early-stage breast cancer patients will be long term survivors.
“Emily’s secondary diagnosis was a triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive and hard to treat subtype which accounts for up to 15% of the disease,” he said. “Even here research is starting to pay dividends with new treatments offering hope to women with this cancer subtype.” Liam insisted the evidence is clear that long-term investments are making critical differences in the life chances of women diagnosed with this cancer.
On Thursday, Liam’s fundraiser had collected €700 out of a €1,500 goal.
He has appealed to people to support his fundraiser for breast cancer research and those who wish to make a donation can do so by clicking here.
