A group of amateur cyclists from Youghal, Co. Cork have chosen to compete in one of the most respected and longest running endurance-based sporting events in the world to honor the memory of a young woman from their hometown who lost her life to cancer. Their participation will also help to raise funds for cancer research.

Team Youghal, who will participate in the Race Across America (RAAM), officially began their effort with a launch in the town’s Mall Arts Centre on May 28th.

RAAM is considered to be one of the world’s top cycling events and, unlike the Tour de France, it is one continuous stage, similar to a time trial. Racers must traverse 3,005 miles across 12 states and climb over 170,000 vertical feet. This is a non-stop race across the continental United States with competitors cycling about 350-500 miles a day, racing 24 hours a day from start to finish.

This is the 30th anniversary of the race and Team Youghal will make history by being the first ever Irish squad in the eight-person Team category. The team’s members range in age from 37 to 60 and in occupation from fire officer to retired school principal. They are taking part to raise money and awareness for the Emer Casey Foundation.

Emer, who was from Youghal, in Co. Cork, was diagnosed with ovarian/uterine cancer in February 2006 when she was only 27. She died on June 10, 2006, four days after her 28th birthday. Her family established the foundation in her honor. To date The Emer Casey Foundation has raised more than €500,000 for research into ovarian and uterine cancer.

Mayor of Youghal Mary Linehan-Foley launched the event before a packed house, which included the cyclists and crew of Team Youghal. The Mayor said, “I’m very proud to be invited to this launch and proud that a team from Youghal will be the first Irish participants in this world cup race.” She went on to say, “This is a great opportunity to put Ireland, and indeed Youghal on the world map which will benefit tourism numbers in these very tough economic times.”

Team Leader Ger Flanagan (46), who works as printer, expressed his gratitude to his fellow team members and to their sponsors: “I would like to thank every member of Team Youghal for their efforts to date and I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead.” He particularly thanked Firedog, the team’s main sponsor, which has donated €20,000 to their cause. Other sponsors include Magners Irish Cider, Youghal Town Council, and Emer’s parents, Juliette and Brendan Casey.

RAAM will begin on June 18, from the Pacific Coast in Oceanside, California. Team Youghal are hoping to finish on June 26, in Annapolis, Maryland. A fundraising event is planned for June 28 at the Consulate General of Ireland in New York City. There will also be 5k run held in Central Park on June 29.

You can follow Team Youghal’s progress by visiting www.teamyoughal.com or joining the team’s Facebook page. Updates of the team’s progress will be posted hourly throughout the race. If you would like to find out more about The Emer Casey Foundation or make a donation, please log on to www.emercaseyfoundation.com.

Info:- By Brian Donohue www.irishemigrant.com

As a new year rolls up its sleeves and thoughts turn towards the 2011 fundraising events, the Emer Casey Foundation continues to make magnificent strides in its tireless efforts to support research into ovarian/uterine cancer, particularly in regard to early detection. Since the last update in August 2010, the Casey family can reveal that the three PhD research students whom it has funded over the past three years have conspired to achieve yet further milestone discoveries.

The three students are Lynda McEvoy (Developing Novel Therapeutic approaches in Chemoresistant Ovarian Cancer Patients), Mairead Murphy (Developing and Validating Diagnostic Serum Based Biomarker Panels in Ovarian Cancer) and Brendan French ( The Isolation, Characterisation and Silencing of Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells.) Through the foundation, they are affiliated to the Dublin-based DISCOVARY consortium, an organisation comprised of several experts across various areas of cancer research.

DISCOVARY comprises gynaecologists, oncologists, pathologists, molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, cell biologists, surface chemists, pharmacologists and nurse specialists. It is led by Professor John O’Leary of the Institute of Molecular Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. Within this framework, the fellowships have focused on (a) protein signatures in early and recurrent ovarian cancer and (b) developing novel chemotherapy suitable for ovarian cancer patients.

The students’ work has been greatly augmented by the acquisition of  Ireland’s first SOLiD System Sequencing machine, purchased two years ago through the foundation’s assistance. The machine, a technological wonder, is of primary importance in the technology of genomic (gene study) analysis, including DNA research and its acquisition has placed the DISCOVARY consortium in the forefront of oncology research worldwide

Recent, important achievements

In the past year, research student Mairead Murphy “has identified a panel of over 600 proteins that can be identified in the blood of ovarian cancer patients,” says Juliette Casey of Kilcoran Road, wife of retired garda Brendan and mother of five girls of whom Emer was the youngest. Additionally, researcher Brendan French “has made a breakthrough on cancer stem cells and their capacity to generate non-stem cells,” she adds. While the technical appreciation of these achievements is complex and arguably difficult for lay people to comprehend and appreciate fully, the medical significance is, assuredly, highly potent and of global significance.

That the consortium links its research with world-leading professors in America’s George Mason University Centre for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine and with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of California, greatly increases the significance of its findings.

Australia success

Elsewhere, Melbourne’s Emer Casey Memorial 10k, which was held on May 23rd, some 12 hours after the Youghal equivalent, raised Aus$23,000. The family event was spearheaded by former Olympian runner Sonia O’Sullivan and, soon to be in its third year, is already firmly placed as a major event in Australia’s sporting and social calendar. The money raised is allotted to the city’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, which is Australia’s public hospital dedicated to cancer treatment, research and education.

Origins

The Emer Casey Foundation was established in honour of 28 year-old Emer Casey, who lost her life to uterine/ovarian cancer in 2006. Emer was known and loved as an exceptionally vibrant girl, who embraced life and left an indelible, appreciative mark on the lives of all who knew her. An extensive, adventurous traveller and an active, dedicated sports fan –particularly towards Cork hurling and Munster rugby- her energy and consideration also saw her participate in many road races of the kind which now carries her name.

Through the foundation established in her name, Emer’s family, friends and work colleagues have transformed tragedy into a campaign to save others from the deadly affliction. These dedicated volunteers fundraise through a variety of events, including three annual road walk/races in Youghal, Melbourne and London. Their cause is considerably assisted by the tireless contributions and efforts of former employers, Dublin-based solicitors Matheson Ormbsy Prentice. Their combined commitment has raised over €500,000 in four years

There are approximately 334 new cases of ovarian/uterine cancer diagnosed in Ireland every year, with an average fatality rate of two-thirds. It is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancy in the western world, yet Ireland still has no national risk assessment or genetic screening programme in place. It has been labelled ‘the silent killer’ as the vague symptoms often mean that by the time the cancer is diagnosed, the tumour has spread beyond the ovaries. All those selflessly involved with the Emer Casey Foundation are inspired by the knowledge that a woman’s chances of surviving ovarian cancer increase from 15% to 80% with early diagnosis.

Future direction

The three-year funding agreement for two of the student fellowships has now expired, while €50,000 remains for Brendan French to continue for another year. The foundation retains the option of renewing funding for his research colleagues but is also considering making financial contribution in other areas instead. These basically aspire towards the areas of “psychological support, fertility treatments for patients with cancer and supportive care,” says Juliette. “We are also intent on raising awareness of the disease at home and abroad in the longterm,” she adds. As 2011 settles, the fight to defeat the ‘silent killer’ may diversify, but it shows no sign of diminishing.

Denis Desmond, who is originally from Youghal, now living in the U.K. had a dream.   As a member of the Epping Forest Band it was his boyhood dream to some day come back to his home town and put on a concert in St Mary’s Collegiate Church, where he had played happily with his friends as a child.   Denis himself is a cancer survivor, and his wish was that all proceeds of the concert would be donated to Cancer Research. Denise FitzGerald Reports Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

Denis decided it was time his dream a reality.  After all, the Epping Forest Brass Band have had great critical acclaim in Europe, and his hopes were that it would be an evening of music from many genres.   Thus, contact was made with the Killeagh Choir and Youghal Pipe Band, both of whom were delighted to accept the invitation to play in St Mary’s with the Epping Forest Brass band.

On Saturday last, August 29th,  all three groups of musicians and singers came together in the magnificent St Mary’s Collegiate Church where, to a packed attendance, they brought tears to many an eye with their moving and heart warming performances.

Denis Desmond had a dream, a dream that he made come true, and the fulfilment of that dream brought to the people of Youghal an enchanting evening, never to be forgotten.
Click on image to see the concert in St. Mary’s Collegiate Church Youghal