Annmarie 'stepping it out' for Meals on Wheels

Coffee Morning in the Annebrook on December 1

Annmarie McEvoy is hosting a coffee morning in aid of Meals on Wheels in the Annebrook House Hotel, on Thursday December 1.

Tea, coffee and scones will all be on offer between 10am and 12pm and there will be a raffle on the day with spot prizes to be won.

In the last year Annmarie, a Castletown Geoghegan native living in Mullingar, has raised money for four worthy causes by racking up hundreds of thousands of steps, including Breakthrough Cancer Research based in Cork, LARRC here in Westmeath, Loop Community Café in Freshford, Kilkenny.

The latest campaign is for Meals on Wheels, a cause close to her heart because she used to work in that area, and already she has totalled 200,000 steps and been sponsored by Tommy Nally of Rochfort's Superstore Mullingar Music.

“Meals on Wheels helps everybody at some stage in their lives, and for many different reasons. It could be delivering food to someone's door after an operation, for instance.

"Sometimes the people delivering those meals are the only ones older people living the countryside and oftentimes isolated in the community, see from one day to the next outside of their care-giver," Annmarie tells the Westmeath Examiner.

“I worked in the healthboard myself, and would have been out every morning to a lot of houses, and sometimes if people were short you’d go back to bring the dinner. It’s a good service, I loved that job, and I only left it when I got cancer myself."

Annmarie's story

Annmarie discovered she had a cancerous tumour 12 years ago, undergoing chemo and radiation at the time, and continues to have regular check-ups to monitor the cancer. Then, two years ago, she was diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s Disease.

“I had a stinging pain 12 years ago and went my doctor who didn’t think it was anything to worry about. It was like a piece of grilse under the skin, so I left it for a bit and about a month afterwards I said it to my daughter again, and she said to go back. So I went back to my GP who sent me for a second opinion and that's when the tumour was discovered.

"It was only the size of a pea but it couldn't be operated on because of where it was lying, directly on my lymph gland, so I had chemo and radiation, I lost my hair - the works. I still have to go back every four months to be scanned, but I think I’m one of the lucky ones.

“Then two years ago I got diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s Disease. I noticed a slight tremor during lockdown so I went and got it checked. Initially all the MRIs showed up fine, but I saw a neurologist and who confirmed that I did have it. But I'm doing well, I doesn't bother me too much. They have great medication these days."

Fundraising

Annmarie explains that she got involved in fundraising when lockdown ended.

"I did a lot of voluntary work, for St Vincent de Paul and St Brigid’s School, and it was when I was talking to Bob Keating (retired principal at St Brigid's) one day and I said I’d like to do a bit of fundraising. It was him that pointed out that I’m always out walking and that I could do it that way. I thought it was brilliant, meeting people and chatting to people. I think there would be a bit of me lost if I wasn’t doing it now.

"I started with Breakthrough Cancer in Cork, I got involved with them because there was a guy I knew from Cork when I had cancer, and he set it up. I did that for three months and raised €550 for them, and then I swapped over to LARRC, and raised €1,500 here in Mullingar.

"Then I got involved a cause in the 'Loop Cafe' in Freshford, near Kilkenny. A lady left an old building to be used by the elderly, and it needed a lot of work doing with it, so the whole community got together, there's only about 700 in the area, they got tradesmen together and they got it going. I have a relation living down there so I said I'd volunteer too. In total I did 300,000 steps for them and raised €1,000. The elderly people can go in and have their tea, soup and a sandwich and it will cost them nothing. They can have a chat too and that's the whole point of it."

Annmarie is hoping to raise €500 for Meals on Wheels, and as well as the coffee morning on Thursday in the Annebrook, she has joined forces with Breda Hussey in selling Mullingar themed Christmas Cards.

"Breda takes the photos and with the help of Fagan's we've turned them into Christmas Cards. Breda does a lot of voluntary work with the Hospice, so she is raising funds for them, and I'm doing it for Meals on Wheels. It's a joint effort," she explains.

"If I got to the €500 I think I'd be doing very well because things are tough this year, but I've been told anywhere I go collecting that it's the first time anyone's done anything for Meals on Wheels and I truly believe it's a good cause. Tommy Nally of Rochfort's is very kindly sponsoring the campaign, and I'm hoping to go on with Ray Dolan on the Twelve Gongs to promote it. I'd also like to thank Mullingar Hardware and Millie Walsh for donating towards the cause."

- The Coffee Morning in aid of Meals on Wheels takes place in the Annebrook Hotel at 10am on Thursday December 1.