Crosby run raises €2K for patient care

“It's just like yesterday - she was still with us,” says Peter Crosby, doting dad to the late Niamh who sadly passed away from Ovarian cancer eight years ago.

Ever since Niamh's sad and tragic passing on St Patrick's weekend, March 18, 2016, the Bailieborough woman's family - dad Peter, wife Anna-Mai, sister Sarah Jane, brother Ciaran and extended family - have set about memorialising the popular 24-year-old apprentice hairdresser through a now annual Honda bike run.

From that, and in Niamh's name, the Crosbys and supporters of the bike run, which starts and ends at Virginia's Enagh House, have managed to contribute massively towards the betterment of care for cancer patients attending Dublin's St James' Hospital.

Along with a family comfort room, funds raised by the run have contributed towards the development of a survivorship care plan for patients, the appointment of a lead nurse for patients post-operation, and more recently a bladder scanner and patient treatment passport scheme.

“It's the first one ever,” Peter says of the new passport initiative, which allow patients to take note of important details from each appointment and carry it with them for the next consultant to check.

Peter believes it will be of huge benefit to all women in treatment.

This year's run was held on Easter Sunday, March 31, and outside of donations on the day and in the weeks leading up, an online fundraiser has collected €1,800 of a €2,000 goal.

“It's amazing the support people give us. It's going on eight years now, all except for one year during Covid, but we get great support,” Peter told the Celt.

He says, while his daughter has passed, her legacy is embodied in the care of new patients accessing treatment and in supporting their families.

“That's what keeps us all ticking over. We've really seen it so many times now. Niamh had such an impact on the lives of so many, and she's still doing that.”

There is a remembrance notebook in the comfort room the Crosbys helped pay for, which contains a wealth of tributes to Niamh and her family for their kindness. “It's quite touching when you go up and read it; to see that Niamh is still having a positive impact on the lives of others means so much.”