Rugby Legend Rory Best takes on 300km endurance challenge across Ireland to help ensure no child has to face cancer alone
Following on from the success of Rory’s Miles 2 Mayo in 2021, former Ulster and Ireland Rugby Captain Rory Best has announced that he will walk over 300km from Dublin to Mayo from 16th – 25th May 2023
On Monday 20th March rugby legend Rory Best announced details of his second Rory’s Miles 2 Mayo challenge at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin with the help of Naomi, Stephen, Tom and Shay, four young people supported by Cancer Fund for Children.
Rory’s Miles 2 Mayo is a 300km walking trek that Rory will make across Ireland to raise money to support children and young people impacted by cancer. The funds raised will help us continue to expand our services across the island of Ireland and progress with the building of Daisy Lodge, a therapeutic short break centre for children diagnosed with cancer and their families which will be built in Cong Co. Mayo
This year, Rory is upping his challenge and from the 16-25th May, he will walk over 300kms from Dublin’s Aviva Stadium to Cong in Co. Mayo with the aim of raising €2 million. Along the route he will be joined by some of the families we support, as well as former teammates, public figures, sponsors and supporters of Cancer Fund for Children.
“A childhood cancer diagnosis can impact on the whole family. Hospital appointments, treatment and the pressures of navigating this experience can leave a family feeling disconnected and exhausted. Short breaks at Daisy Lodge provide children with cancer a space to rest, time with their families and build connections with others their own age going through the same thing. They get to be treated like the stars they are and that’s why I’m delighted to be doing my bit to help bring another therapeutic facility like this to Co. Mayo.
My challenge is being generously sponsored by The Ardonagh Group, Arachas and Kingsbridge Private Hospital so I want to give a special thanks to them for making this possible.”
Rory Best, Former Ireland and Ulster Rugby Captain
Since Rory completed his first challenge in 2021, we have expanded our services across the island of Ireland, employing new support staff and progressing with the build of a second Daisy Lodge in Mayo. We have recruited a new Cancer Support Specialist based on St. John’s Ward in Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, and have recruited our first community based Cancer Support Specialist in Galway to provide informal emotional and social support to families navigating a childhood cancer diagnosis at home and in their communities. These roles have been developed in partnership with The Katie Nugent Fund and Children’s Health Foundation and three more community based roles are due to be filled in the coming months.
“Every week across Ireland, 10 children and young people (aged 0-24) are diagnosed with cancer. We understand the devastating impact a cancer diagnosis and its treatment can have on the whole family, and that beyond the essential medical care, many families need social and emotional support. Our aim is to empower, connect and strengthen children, young people and their families so they feel better equipped to deal with the impact of cancer. Each year, we support over 1,500 children and young people and 500 families impacted by cancer with therapeutic short breaks at Daisy Lodge in Newcastle Co. Down, the inspiration for our second centre to be built in Cong. Once Daisy Lodge Mayo is operational, we will be able to support more than double the number of families each year.”
Phil Alexander, CEO Cancer Fund for Children
On his journey Rory will pass through counties Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Tipperary, Limerick, Clare, Galway and Mayo.
You can get behind Rory this May and help him go the distance to help ensure no child has to face cancer alone by taking on your own fundraising challenge or donating to Rory’s at rorysmiles2mayo.com.
