Longford woman says 'nobody should face cancer alone'

Melanie Hudson, originally from Ballymahon, but living in Athlone for the last 27 years, is calling on her local community to go all in against cancer for the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day, which takes place on Friday, March 22.
Melanie was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2022, just shy of her 51st birthday, and is calling for anybody going through cancer to reach out and make use of the support that is available.

Reflecting on her cancer experience, Melanie said: “Only after I finished my treatment did I reach out to local cancer support groups, and I should have done that sooner. I am very stubborn and independent, and I let “no thanks” be my default response when people offered help. Help is out there and nobody should face cancer alone. You are no less independent for accepting or asking for help.”
The Irish Cancer Society is there to ensure that every person affected by cancer has a place to turn to, the support they need and the hope that there will come a day when no one in Ireland dies from cancer.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of the Irish public the Irish Cancer Society invests in groundbreaking cancer research and delivers crucial free support services for people affected by cancer, throughout Longford.
In 2023, your generous support provided:
Over 240 free lifts to bring Longford based cancer patients to their treatment;
Almost 110 free counselling sessions to people living in Longford; and
Over 120 nights of free Night Nursing care to allow cancer patients in Longford to die at home surrounded by loved ones.
Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power said, “Unfortunately, 1 in 2 of us will get cancer at some point in our lives. There isn’t a family in Ireland that hasn’t been touched by the disease. When Daffodil Day first began in 1986, just 3/10 Irish people survived a cancer diagnosis.

Today, thanks to investment in innovative cancer research, that has doubled to 6/10 people in Ireland surviving cancer. And we at the Irish Cancer Society won’t stop until 10/10 people survive a cancer diagnosis. But we cannot do that without your support on Daffodil Day.

“The more we raise on Daffodil Day, the more we can do, and the more lifesaving research we can fund. We only receive 5% of our income from the government, so we’re urging everyone in Longford to Go All In this Daffodil Day, March 22 to help us achieve a future where nobody dies from cancer in Ireland, and everyone affected by the disease has the support they need when they need it most.”
For more information about Daffodil Day visit https://www.cancer.ie/daffodilday.