Cork family: We’re doing mini marathon in memory of mum on her first anniversary

Time does not erase the past, but it provides the space to think about your loved one.

“We’ll be thinking of mum and ing her on September 22, the day of The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon,” says Melanie Walsh, who is taking part in this year’s race, along with other family .

This year, the day of the Mini Marathon is an important date for Melanie Walsh, her siblings and her nearest and dearest to the late Ann O’Flynn.

It is Ann’s first anniversary, and it is a happy coincidence because she took part in the event she loved so much for more than 30 years.

“My mum took part in at least 30 to 35 Echo mini marathons,” says Melanie, who is a mum of three.

“She worked for TCH, in the Echo and Examiner office for 40 years where she started on the switchboard and then later worked in the editor’s office. When she got sick, she didn’t want to give up work because she loved it so much. She arranged to job-share and continued to work when she was able.”

Ann must have been an able lady, taking part in so many mini marathons over the years?

“She was always going,” says Melanie. “She was always moving.”

She liked to store happy memories.

“Mum kept all the mini marathon Evening Echo supplements over the years,” Melanie adds.

Unfortunately, during a flood lots of lovely memories were destroyed in her house in Blackrock. The Echo supplements were destroyed, which was such a pity.

New memories can be made.

“Me, my sister and her three girls, our niece, and Clare, my sister-in-law, are all taking part in the mini marathon in September.”

It will be a family affair.

“We are meeting up with my brothers for coffee afterwards,” says Melanie.

They will continue Ann O’Flynn’s generous legacy.

“Mum always donated to a cancer-related charity,” says Melanie.

“She never asked for money. She might say to me, ‘Give me a tenner. I’m doing the mini marathon and am making a donation’.

“You can be sure mum herself doubled and tripled the donation.”

Even when Ann was sick and going through treatment for cancer herself and was involved in clinical trials, she still continued giving, doing the mini marathon for worthy causes.

“I one year when mum came out top of her age group. She was mortified!” says Melanie.

She was more concerned about that than about her cancer!

Ann O’Flynn knew life was for living.

“Mum loved education. She was interested and curious, wanting to know everything. She went back to college and studied women’s studies and Celtic studies. Her class were travelling to Russia, and she took off.”

Ann saw no barriers.

“A group of young college students were going on a ski-trip. They said to mum, ‘You come too!’”

And she did.

“When I was on a J1 visa, mum followed me over,” says Melanie.

Ann took every opportunity to live life to the full.

“I was on a work trip to from June 29 to July 6,” says Melanie. “Visiting Cologne Cathedral I came across a photo of mum in the same spot 30 years previously!

She loved to travel, and she had different groups of friends she travelled with to New York, Portugal, and Medjugorje.

“She particularly loved Medjugorje and went there on a regular basis with her friends, Jim and Fiona Byrne.”

Ann never stopped going, even when she got sick.

“When she was terminally ill, she travelled to Lourdes as a helper,” says Melanie. “She was the sickest on the flight.”

When did Ann first get sick?

“It started in 2013 with a mole on her leg,” says Melanie.

“She was advised by a doctor to leave it alone and it would fall off.”

Time ed.

“On a particular hot summer, my sister and I told mum she should look at this again and seek further advice,” says Melanie.

“She was diagnosed with cancer. Mum went into remission, but it erupted again after two years, and she received a terminal cancer diagnosis.”

How did Ann, the go-getter, the globe-trotter, deal with this awful news?

“Every day she woke up was a bonus,” says Melanie.

She took each day in her stride.

“Mum was more upset about having to retire from work when she reached retirement age than the cancer,” says Melanie.

Ann, a people person, kept up her close friendships she formed over the years.

She loved her coffee mornings with her former workmates, Rose-Marie and Tony especially.

Ann, not a lady to give in easily, agreed to go on a number of clinical trials advised by her oncologist Dr Brian Bird in the Bon Secours Hospital.

Did the drugs work?

“What they did was give mum another two to three years,” says Melanie.

“But eventually all the treatments began to take their toll on her.”

Ann had to move on.

“She was itted to the Bons last July. She was allowed out for a small period of time, and she came home to my sister’s house where we had 10 lovely days together. Mum didn’t like being in hospital. She felt under pressure.”

When a wound developed on Ann’s back, her condition became unmanageable for everybody.

"Mum had to go into Marymount Hospice,” says Melanie. 

It’s not a place you’d want to go. If you need to go, it is absolutely amazing.

The first anniversary of Anne’s ing will evoke many special memories, on the same day as The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon.

“I miss everything about her,” says Melanie.

“Mum’s house was a meeting place for everybody. You could talk to her about everything and anything.

“In November, we’d get vouchers for the kids to get toys in Smyths for Christmas. When the kids got older, she’d give us gift vouchers for Dunnes or Penneys. She was very practical.”

Ann, mum of six, grandmother of 11, and who lost a son, Kevin, was so thoughtful.

“My sister and I got separate gift vouchers to use for ourselves,” says Melanie.

“She said they were not for the husbands or the kids. They were for us!”

There is a gap in the lives of Melanie, Brian, Clare, Denis, and Patrick.

“Mum is a massive loss to us,” says Melanie.

I often pick up the phone to call her, without thinking.

Her family always think of Ann.

“Taking part in the mini marathon the same day of mum’s first anniversary, will be bitter-sweet,” says Melanie.

Like Ann, the clan will keep going and keep moving.

They’ll keep Ann’s memory alive.

“Her last mini marathon was in 2019,” says Melanie. “She was too sick to take part after that.”

Continuing Ann’s generous legacy, her loved ones continue her can-do, will-do, attitude.

Marymount Hospice will benefit from her family’s efforts stepping out on September 22.

Ann’s loved ones will celebrate her wonderful life.

“We’ll do that,” says Melanie.

To for the mini marathon, see echolive.ie/minimarathon

If you have a story about why you are taking part in this year’s mini marathon, email [email protected]