According to data from the Irish Cancer Society, volunteer drivers travelled a total of 2.3 million kilometres last year, ensuring the transportation of patients to their chemotherapy sessions. The disclosure of this information comes ahead of Daffodil Day, the society’s premier yearly fundraising event held on Friday.
The organisation articulated that last year it witnessed a significant surge in the demand for its transportation service, recording a 30 per cent increase as their volunteer drivers transported over 2,200 cancer patients to their treatments.
One of the service users was stomach cancer survivor Jacinta Farrelly from Co Cavan, who described the service as a significant support during her chemotherapy. Diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2022, she began using the transportation service a few months into her treatment. She expressed her surprise at the promptness of the service response as her query was answered within minutes of being raised, informing her of the availability of the service.
She expressed her gratitude towards the volunteer drivers who accompanied her on her biweekly trips from Cavan. Highlighting their attentive care and provided essentials such as masks, tissues, and water, Farrelly recognised the importance of initiatives like Daffodil Day in ensuring the continuation of such services.
The organisation also noted a substantial increase of 31 per cent in the demand for other support services in 2023, with a particularly notable rise in the number of night nursing shifts allowing terminally ill cancer patients to spend their last moments at home with their loved ones.
Society’s Chief Executive, Averil Power, states that there are 42,000 annual cancer diagnoses in Ireland. Support for each patient is a priority to The Irish Cancer Society. However, a mere 5% of their funding comes from the state. To ensure that their services keep up with the growing need, they need to amass over €25 million this year,” she emphasised.
The much-awaited Daffodil Day is scheduled for Friday, March 22nd. Fundraising events will be held in cities and shopping malls nationwide on the coming Friday, the 22nd and Saturday, the 23rd. For those willing to participate or offer a donation, they can do so at cancer.ie.