Latest news with #Rhabdomyosarcoma
Irish Independent
23-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Community responds to help daughter (10) of ‘Bray Person of the Year' after cancer diagnosis
There has been an overwhelming response to the appeal so far, which has received over 400 donations, raising just over €26,000. Matt Keenan is the founder of Bray Community Lifeline, a suicide hotline, which he established last year to offer in-person assistance to those in crisis. Following a call-out for volunteers, Matt, who has qualifications in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), delivered suicide prevention and mental health training to the participants to act as first responders offering real-time, face-to-face intervention in the community. On Monday, July 14, 2025, Matt's daughter, Caoimhe, was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive and rare form of childhood cancer, called Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Caoimhe, 'a bright, brave, and beautiful girl with a heart full of life', lives in Bray with her close-knit family – mum Martina, dad Matt, her older sister Cara, and big brother Jonathan. She is currently in Crumlin Hospital, receiving an exceptionally strong combination of chemotherapy drugs and is on a very intensive treatment plan. Instead of a standard 21-day cycle (three days of chemo followed by 18 days off), Caoimhe is now being given chemo daily over her first weekend, followed by weekly treatments for at least the next seven weeks. This approach reflects just how urgently her doctors are trying to slow the cancer down. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare and fast-growing cancer that forms in muscle tissue. It affects approximately only 4.5 in every 1,000,000 children under the age of 10. In Caoimhe's case, the tumour was found in the roof of her mouth, but it had already grown so aggressively that it pushed through the bone and into the space around her brain. Scans also revealed that it had spread to her lungs. Chemotherapy started just five days after the diagnosis. The Keenan family have devoted much of their time to helping the community. Matt was honoured with the 2024 Bray Person Of The Year award for his role in reaching out to those in crisis, one of those life-saving calls even coming on Caoimhe's 10th birthday. Martina is heavily involved in Bray Area Rough Sleepers Support, the voluntary organisation that provides a 'soup run' to Bray's homeless 365 days of the year. The fundraising drive was set up by Matt's colleague, and is about 'giving the Keenan family room to breathe'. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more "To allow Martina and Matt to stop worrying about bills, groceries, or mortgages and focus entirely on Caoimhe's care, recovery, and comfort during this brutal fight ahead,' the appeal said. The support will go directly to the Keenans so they can cover urgent household and medical costs, take time off work without having financial concerns and so they can be present with Caoimhe throughout her treatment. The community has so far responded very generously to the appeal, to date having raised just over €26,400, but there is some way to go to meet the target required. Matt wanted to thank all of those who have reached out to make donations. 'Our focus is Caoimhe's battle and recovery,' he said. 'We are grateful for all the support and love that is allowing us to stay focused on our daughter and family.' As Matt's colleague noted, there are people alive today because of Matt, Martina and their work. You can now support them by donating at:
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dad Left in Tears at Wife's Baby Shower After She Surprises Him with 'Overwhelming' Gift (Exclusive)
Isaac Adame lost his mom, Lori Sharnick, to cancer when he was a teenager He and his wife, Angelica Adame, are expecting their first child, a son Angelica surprised Isaac with a touching tribute to his late mother at her baby showerA moment of quiet tenderness took center stage in a room full of pastel decorations and expectant joy at one couple's baby shower. Amid the laughter and gift opening, a white box was passed from wife to husband. Inside, nestled in soft tissue paper, was a teddy bear made of old clothes. A wave of emotion crashed over Isaac Adame, the soon-to-be father, once he realized the stuffed toy was stitched together using his late mother's jeans – a symbol of love, legacy, and healing. Lori Sharnick gave birth to Isaac at the age of 17. She was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the muscle tissue, and was told it was terminal on her 30th birthday. Lori passed away on April 28th, 2010, long before her son met his bride, Angelica. 'I wanted to surprise my husband with this gift because I knew how much it would mean to him to include his mom in some way,' Angelica tells PEOPLE exclusively. 'If it was the other way around, I know I'd miss having my mom at my baby shower and feel sad if she wasn't able to be a part of it.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Angelica didn't hesitate to shift the spotlight from the baby to her husband, gifting him something so personal and unexpected that it moved the entire room to tears. 'It felt like the right time to give it to him while the rest of our loved ones were all in the room with us,' she says. The idea behind the teddy bear stemmed from a hairstyling appointment. One of Angelica's clients, who is a seamstress, mentioned the concept of memory bears — stuffed animals sewn from recycled clothes. 'I knew immediately I wanted to do the same for my husband,' she shares. 'I ended up going through a shop I found on Etsy who specialized in making bears out of loved ones' clothes who have passed. I met up with my husband's grandparents to get the jeans from them while my husband was working.' Although Angelica never met Isaac's mother, she had seen a photograph of Lori standing proudly by her motorcycle in a pair of worn-in jeans. 'When my husband opened the bear, he knew exactly which jeans they were, too,' she recalls. 'The denim blue color also felt right because we're having a boy.' After Isaac read the message written on the teddy bear, he realized the toy's sentimental value. 'I instantly broke down inside,' he admits. 'I brought her ashes to the baby shower to have her there in that way, but seeing this bear and knowing our baby will have something of hers to be close to him… it was just overwhelming.' Isaac admits to having a rocky relationship with his mother before her diagnosis. He was sent off to live with his dad during his early years. 'My mom did struggle to parent me…Her life wasn't easy, and to be completely honest, her making the decision to have me stay with my dad instead was probably the best thing for me,' he says. Isaac learned at age 5 that the man raising him wasn't his biological father, which triggered a years-long identity crisis. However, everything shifted when his mom was diagnosed with cancer. With limited time, they both worked to rebuild their relationship. 'She sacrificed her time with me for the betterment of my life,' he admits. 'That taught me that for my kids, I must always put them first, even if that means putting my own wants and needs on the back burner.' The expecting father hopes he never has to make the same difficult choices his mother did, but wants to always do what's best for his son. 'My mother's passing taught me to cherish life because you never know when or how god will call you home,' Isaac admits. 'My mom means everything to me, she impacts every part of my life. I want to live as fully as possible.' Related: Teen's Toddler Sister Attends Every One of His Games. She's His Biggest Fan, Despite the 12-Year Age Gap (Exclusive) Isaac turns 29 this year — the same age his mother was when she was first diagnosed. 'I feel like that's not enough time on this Earth with the ones I love, so every day past this is a blessing to me, and my mom taught me that,' he explains. As the high school sweethearts prepare to welcome their son, the teddy bear now holds a special place in their growing family. 'I am happy that our son will always have something to remember his Grandma Lori by,' Angelica says. 'It will be sweet to think of her watching over him while he's holding the bear, and I hope that it will make him feel like he can talk to her and have a relationship with her even if she's not physically here.' Read the original article on People
