Cepta’s tribute to hospice after Curley’s battle with cancer

A hospice volunteer has urged everyone, especially men, to get regular health checks after her husband passed away from cancer.

Cepta Wallace became a committee member to raise vital funds for the North Westmeath Hospice after seeing at first hand the care given to her husband Michael (‘Curley’) during his illness.

Now she is encouraging everyone to register to host a coffee morning as part of Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning for Hospice.

This long-standing and much-loved national event, coordinated by Together for Hospice, takes place on September 26.

Curley Wallace was well known in Mullingar as a hardworking garage owner. He started his business on Grove Street in Blackhall in 1973, and it is still operated by his son Brendan.

After a hard-fought, two-year battle with cancer, Curley passed away at his home under the care of his family and hospice staff in 2012, at the age of 69.

Since then, Cepta has become a committed volunteer for the North Westmeath Hospice as a way of giving back the friendship and kindness she received at a time when it was most needed.

“During his illness, Michael rallied to walk my daughter up the aisle on her wedding day and even danced an old time waltz with her,” she laughed.

“The hospice services enabled us to bring him home in his final days and my son Michael played for him all the songs of family friend Joe Dolan, which he loved.

“The care and pain relief he received and the dignity afforded to him by the beautiful hospice staff were second to none and gave us, as a family, time to say goodbye without having to worry about anything else.

“However, I would urge everyone to get regular checks, especially if there is a history of certain illnesses in the family.

“Becoming a volunteer to help with any event or any fundraising has allowed me to give something back and it has also enabled me to make friends with people who have suffered a similar loss.

“The services the North Westmeath Hospice provide can not be overstated and most people will need them at some stage.

“But services need funding and I ask everyone to get out and join us for a cup of tea or coffee at our marquee on the Market Square in Mullingar on Thursday, September 26, from 9am.

Together for Hospice, The National Hospice Movement, represents 24 Hospice and specialist palliative homecare providers supporting patients and their families across Ireland.

Funds raised locally during Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning for Hospice, stay local and go directly to each local Hospice service to innovate, build new facilities, develop new services and deliver quality improvements and extra benefits for their patients and their family members.

Register to host a coffee morning on Thursday, September 26 - or on a date that suits you – at hospicecoffeemorning.ie or call 0818 995 996.

If you cannot host or attend a coffee morning, you can make a donation at hospicecoffeemorning.ie/donate.