Rob Heffernan encourages you to ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer!’

Olympic race walker, Rob Heffernan, helps to launch this year’s virtual ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer’ charity walk in aid of the Mercy Hospital Foundation. Participants can take on this year’s 22km virtual walk anywhere at any time. Funds raised will go towards the Mercy Cancer CARE Centre to support cancer patients and their families. Registration is now open at www.mercyfundraising.ie

Olympic race walker, Rob Heffernan, recently helped launch the 2020 ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer’ charity walk in aid of the Mercy Cancer CARE Centre.
Like so many events this year, the annual ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer’ walk was postponed due to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic.
Originally due to take place in July, the annual charity walk usually sees hundreds of people take on the 22km challenge of walking from The Viaduct Inn to the Town Hall in Bandon to raise funds for the Mercy Cancer CARE Centre. After careful consideration and keeping in line with HSE and Government guidelines, the ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer’ organising committee and The Mercy Hospital Foundation are delighted to announce that this year’s walk will be taking place virtually, meaning that wherever you are in the world, you can get involved and help raise funds for cancer services right here in Cork.
Participants are being invited to complete the 22km distance at their own pace between the 5th and 18th October. Using a phone, smartwatch or Fitbit, you can clock up your kilometres gradually over the two-week period or take on the extra challenge of doing it all in one go, all while raising vital funds for cancer services at the Mercy University Hospital. This year’s walk is open to people of all ages and abilities, whether you live in Ireland or abroad, simply register online, take a screenshot of your completed distance, post it to Facebook and tag the ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer’ Facebook page.
Participants will also have the option of setting up an online fundraising page making it easier for family and friends to get involved and help support cancer patients at the Mercy Hospital. Those who raise over €100 will receive a bespoke ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer’ medal as a keepsake to show how they helped to make the Mercy Cancer CARE Centre a reality.
The popular charity walk is now in its eighth year. Set up in 2013 to remember Bandon man Mark Prendergast who passed away from testicular cancer in 2012, the ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer’ walk has gone on to raise close to €350,000 for the Mercy Cancer CARE Centre.
Commenting on the virtual ‘Make Your Mark on Cancer’ walk, Mark’s brother, Damien Prendergast, Chairman of the organising committee said “We are very proud of what the Make Your Mark on Cancer walk has achieved over the past seven years. Little did we know when we first started organising the walkin honour of my brother, Mark, in 2013 that we would go on to raise almost €350,000 to date. The support each and every year has been phenomenal so for us not holding the walk in July this year was heart-breaking. But we hope as many people as possible can join us on our virtual Make Your Mark on Cancer walk.”
Funds raised this year will also go towards the Mercy Cancer CARE Centre which will provide vital support for patients and their loved ones as they go through their cancer journey. The Mercy Cancer CARE Centre will provide a range of services from one-to-one counselling and patient support groups to a safe haven for patients at the time of their initial diagnosis. It will also provide a psycho-oncology service to support the mental health and emotional needs of cancer patients during such a difficult time.
Speaking on the impact these funds have had, CEO of The Mercy Hospital Foundation, Mícheál Sheri-dan said “The funds raised have made a significant difference in continuously improving cancer services at the Mercy University Hospital, the people’s hospital. The past few months have been difficult for all of us but particularly for cancer patients, many of whom found themselves cocooning earlier this year and who are in a higher risk category for contracting Covid-19. This year more than ever, it is so important for us to support cancer patients and ensure that they have all the support they need during their cancer journey. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can, and often does, cause huge emotional distress which is why we are committed to developing the Mercy’s dedicated Cancer CARE Centre. Having recently purchased a building just a minutes’ walk away from both the main hospital and the Outpatient Department, this will be transformed into a non-clinical facility to provide a quiet and safe place for patients and families to access an increasingly necessary range of services to support those affected by a cancer diagnosis.”
If you would like to Make Your Mark on Cancer this year, register online at www.mercyfundraising.ie or telephone 021 4274076.
For more information on the Mercy Cancer CARE Centre visit www.mercyfundraising.ie.