We, at Addison’s Ireland, were contacted initially by club Chairman Eugene Gallagher in April. He explained that the club planned to hold a memorial day for Shane on 11 June when there would be street collections carried out by pupils from Shane’s class. The club also wanted permission to use the ADSHG logo on their newly designed football jerseys, which of course was agreed. Over the following two months there were many contacts between ourselves and the club secretary Anne McCormack and also between our social media team (Pippa and Vic) and Aisling McGivern their media person.
On the day in question, myself and husband Claude and Rachel Bracken and hubby Peter and kids met with Marty Clarke and wife Anna in the Whistledown hotel for lunch. Marty, who is a famous footballer in Co Down who has Addison’s, had agreed to launch the club’s new football jersey on the day. We all proceeded on to St Peter’s GAA club for the event. There was a large turnout where volunteers had made cakes and were serving tea and coffee. We were made to feel very welcome. A cake with the ADSHG logo on it was baked specially by Fiona McGivern – the logo on the cake was a perfect colour match of our logo. It seemed criminal that such a work of art should be cut and eaten but we did and it was delicious! Some speeches followed and many photos were taken of the new jerseys.
Rachel Bracken, Linda Grealy, Eugene Gallagher (Club Chairman), Mark Nicholl (Shane's dad) and
Marty Clarke (famous footballer) with the newly designed football jersey and cake
The day, although a sad occasion, was also amazing in that so much money was collected in memory of Shane. It is through the generosity of Mark and Clare and St Peter’s GAA Club that the ADSHG will have funding to further raise awareness of Addison’s disease and in particular to educate A&E departments around the UK and Ireland.
Linda Grealy Coordinator, Addison’s Ireland
This article was first published in the September 2016 edition of the ADSHG newsletter.
