Miles for Myeloma walk at Belvedere

To mark Multiple Myeloma Ireland’s blood cancer awareness month, Ally Byrne from Glascorn, Ballinea, organised a walk in the beautiful grounds of Belvedere House and Gardens, Mullingar, on Sunday last, September 15. Readers may remember Ally as the woman who shaved her head in 2021 to raise money for cancer research, following her husband Michael’s diagnosis with an incurable cancer.

Ally and her family hosted Sunday’s event, at which they were joined by another local family who unfortunately lost a member to multiple myeloma two year ago. Tracey Fox’s mother Teresa Nea was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2018 and sadly passed away in 2022. Tracey organised treats for the children taking part in the walk, through the kindness and generosity of a local business.

Speaking after the walk, Ally thanked Belvedere, Lakeside Cafe and Ray Dolan, and all those that attended. “Mullingar is always such a wonderful town and community to get behind any fundraising,” she said.

“Families like mine depend on advancements in cancer treatments. Michael’s cancer is incurable and we need as many new drugs as possible available to him in the future to treat each relapse and to improve his quality of life, so that, hopefully, he will live long enough to see his daughters grow up and, please God, walk them down the aisle,” Ally said.

Michael and Ally have three daughters; Lucy, Anna and Jane.

Since Ally’s head shave in 2021, Michael has received a stem cell transplant, followed by consolidation treatment and then a high dose of maintenance treatment.

Unfortunately, in February of this year, Michael relapsed. The multiple myeloma had become active again and had also become non-secretory – harder to detect with CT Scans and blood tests. Regular PET scans and bone marrow biopsies are needed to track and trace his response to treatment.

Michael has just completed four months of weekly treatment administered in hospital, along with medications that he takes at home. “The worry for Michael and us as a family is that each relapse occurs after a shorter remission response,” Ally said.

After the head shave, Ally set up a private Facebook support group for patients of multiple myeloma and their family members. “This group is growing all the time and it’s lovely to hear members say that it’s a great comfort to them,” she said.

Late last year, Ally joined the board of Multiple Myeloma Ireland, to help spread awareness, connect more patients with each other, and to launch the #milesformyeloma campaign. “The campaign is an accessible fundraising and awareness campaign that anyone can take part in. It encourages patients, their family and friends to come together and be more active throughout the month of September, blood cancer awareness month,” Ally said.

“So far, the campaign has been a massive success, with a phenomenal amount of money raised and, more importantly, it has brought communities, families and patients together which is wonderful to witness and play a small part in,” she added.

On September 29, Multiple Myeloma Ireland is hosting an event in Tullamore to celebrate #milesformyeloma. Everyone is invited. Dochas Cancer Support, LARCC and the Irish Cancer Society have all been invited to share information on the support available to patients and families living with cancer.

In addition, World Cancer Research Day is on Tuesday, September 24, and Ally is working with Breakthrough Cancer Research to hold a collection day in Mullingar. TY students from St Finian’s College will hold a bucket collection on the streets of the town on the day, and students of Loreto College are holding a non-uniform day on September 27, in support of #cancerresearch.

“I am asking businesses and schools in the midlands to consider hosting a coffee morning or perhaps a non-uniform day in a school setting in an effort to support #cancerresearch,” said Ally.