Rochfortbridge resident paddling the length of the Shannon to raise funds for cancer research
A Rochfortbridge resident and his friend are kayaking the length of the River Shannon next spring to raise funds for Cancer Research Ireland.
The rather aptly named Lee Waters is planning to paddle the 334 kilometres from the Shannon Pot in west Cavan to Carrigaholt in County Clare.
Lee, who is a sea kayaking guide and coach, has witnessed first hand the devastation that cancer can cause.
"I lost my uncle to lung cancer and later a close friend who passed away far too early being only in his forties leaving a wife and two young daughters.
"More recently my fiancée Ciara Heavey's family were devastated by the loss of their mammy to ovarian cancer. She was only 68. At the same time, my fiancée’s older sister was battling with the pancreatic cancer and miraculously she survived surgery and chemotherapy but the strain this had on the family was terrible.
"Having seen how Ciara's mother was treated at the Hermitage in Dublin set amongst the beautiful backdrop of the Liffey Valley, I was inspired to give something back and raise money for Cancer Research Ireland.
"Being a keen kayaker, initially I decided I wanted to paddle the River Liffey as I would often sit on the banks while she was receiving treatment, but I have also wanted to paddle the Shannon for some time from its source in Cavan to Carrigaholt where it becomes the sea.
"We aim to complete the paddle in two phases, phase one will be to paddle 24km from the Shannon Pot in small crossover kayaks to Corry Strand on the northern shore of Lough Allen in a day, and then phase two will be to paddle the remaining 310km from Corry Strand to Carrigaholt in larger sea kayaks, again unsupported over eight days averaging more than 40 kilometres a day and wild camping along the route."
He will be joined by his good friend Dave Walsh. The experience will be particularly poignant for Dave, Lee says.
"He is not just another ordinary paddling friend but a guy with a remarkable story of surviving a stage three aggressive head and neck cancer and is bouncing back after extensive treatment and invasive surgery. Now like so many he wants to give something back too."
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