Charity cycle raises money for Mags
The cyclists with some of their supporters at the completion of their Mayo to Cavan cycle in aid of Glenamoy native Mags Deane Smith.
A group of people from Erris recently completed a cycle from Lavey in Cavan to Glenamoy.
The purpose of the two-day 240km cycle was to raise funds for Mags Deane Smith, a native of Glenamoy and now lives in Cavan with her husband Kevin and three daughters. Mags began to experience severe back pain almost two decades ago and despite undergoing numerous surgeries and various pain management treatments, her condition has progressively worsened.
She has been diagnosed with a condition called Sagittal Imbalance Kyphosis which severely affects her spinal alignment causing deformity. It has been determined that a specialised surgical procedure is Mags' best hope for relief and regaining a semblance of normality.
The procedure will take place in London but the cost is in excess of €200,000.
A major fundraising drive started earlier this year with a number of events taking place in Mayo, Cavan and New York while just last Friday night, a fundraiser was held in the Claddagh Ring in London.
A group of six cyclists completed the full cycle and they were Sean Barrett, Mick Walshe, PJ Nallen, George Geraghty, Shane McGrath and Michael D. McAndrew. They were then joined on Day 2 by Ian O'Boyle, Padraig Monaghan and Sean Keane.
Assisting the crew on the cycle were Sean Walsh, Phillip Irwin, Pat Calpin, Betty Deane, Eileen Irwin and Phillip Irwin Jnr of the Sheepwalk Bar in Swinford who generously supported the crew.
The participants wish to extend their gratitude to the people of Lavey for their overnight hospitality and the local schoolchildren for their lovely send off, and to the main sponsors – Corduff Travel, Kennedy Motors, Lennons Quarries, McGrath Transport, Greg Conroy Hardware, Shevlin Engineers, Geraghty Garage – and all the other sponsors to their contributions to this event. A special thanks to the Anglers Rest in Glenamoy as well, where a function took place after the cycle, and to Bessie's Bar, Lacken for sponsoring the cycling tops.
The final amount raised for the cycle was €8,906, of which €6,581 was raised via bucket collections along the way, donations and sponsorship, while online donations for the cycle on iDonate amounted to €2,325.
Mags is wished every success going forward with her treatment. There is still a substantial amount of money to be raised and anyone who would like to donate can do so online via the iDonate Page by searching for Help Mags Find Relief.
