‘Mum fought her illness as best she could’, I'm doing mini marathon in her memory

Like mother, like daughter.

Aisling Fitzgerald and her mum Mary were like sisters, like two peas in a pod, the resemblance uncanny.

“Her family was her life,” says Aisling, from Tivoli who is a mother of three - Jack, aged nine, Lucy, aged eight, and Tommy, aged three.

Aisling is taking part in The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon on Sunday, September 22, in memory of her mother and to the Mercy Hospital Foundation.

Mary Fitzgerald ed away 10 years ago from pancreatic cancer.

When Aisling is stepping it out for the cause close to her heart, she will her mother.

“Mum did everything for us,” says Aisling. “She lived for all of us.”

“Shane and I had the nicest childhood. Mum used to take us to the beach, and she loved to fish. We’d go to Ballycotton where mum would spend a day fishing. She loved that.”

Ballycotton was close to Mary’s heart.

“We scattered her ashes across the bay there,” says Aisling.

Every Mother’s Day we bring flowers to scatter in the sea to her.

Mary, a fine figure of a woman, was never sick. She was always hale and hearty.

“Mum was always in good health, ironically enough,” says Aisling.

But her robust health took a turn for the worse.

“One morning she woke up and had a yellow pallor,” says Aisling. “That’s how it started, mum was diagnosed with diabetes, and we thought her symptoms must be the cause of her being sick.”

Mary was sicker than she thought. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“Mum had the type of cancer that nobody would wish to have,” says Aisling. “She was shocked to the core.”

She was in good hands.

“The brilliant Derek Power was mum’s doctor in the Mercy Hospital,” says Aisling.

Mum never expected to get cancer, even though granny got breast cancer, and mum’s dad had lung cancer. It seemed to be prevalent in the family.

Like mother, like daughter, Aisling was always there for her mother, always by her side as she battled the horrible illness.

“It was horrendous,” says Aisling. “Mum was so sick as she went through the tough treatments, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She found it very gruelling.”

The Fitzgeralds found new, caring friends at the Mercy Hospital.

“The staff there are so kind and caring,” says Aisling. “They were so empathetic to all of us. The nurses, the doctors, the staff at the hospital became our little family. We all knew each other by name.

“Everyone at the Mercy Hospital were so ive to us during mum’s illness, which we really appreciated when we were all going through a hard time. Especially during the final days.”

Mary Fitgerald’s name was well-known.

“Mum worked in Dunnes in Ballyvolane,” says Aisling.

She was important.

“She was like the second Lord Mayor of Cork!” says Aisling.

When we were shopping, everyone would stop her to talk to her. We’d be shopping for four hours, and we still wouldn’t be finished!

Mary was a fighter who didn’t give up easily. She fought tooth and nail. Until she couldn’t anymore.

“She fought her illness as best she could,” says Aisling.

“But the day came when she couldn’t fight anymore. She was exhausted.

“On March 18, 2014, the ambulance came to take mum back to hospital. She ed away on March 21.”

Aisling misses her mother; the mother who lived for her family and who did everything for them.

“We were great old pals,” says Aisling.”

Like mother, like daughter, Aisling embraces her family always.

“I’m doing the mini marathon for the first time with Megan, my brother’s partner,” says Aisling.

“He will bring in the kids afterwards and we’ll all go for a bite to eat.”

Is Aisling a runner?

“Not at all!” she says.

But she gives it a go.

I’ve been running away every week to build up ahead of the mini marathon, 2km and 3km.

Aisling is fit.

“I like going to the gym and I love a challenge. I’ll be doing the mini marathon for mum, for the Mercy, and for all the other people battling cancer.”

Like her mum, Aisling puts up a battle against cancer.

“I took part in the charity event for Breakthrough Cancer Research, 310,000 steps, back in March,” says Aisling.

She helped fund research to develop new and better treatments to tackle the hardest-to-treat-cancer.

“The mini marathon will be a day to mum,” says Aisling.

She won’t ever be forgotten. Mum is a massive loss to us.

But Mary continues to live through her family.

“She sent the kids to me for a reason,” says Aisling. “You know life goes on. You learn to adapt.”

HOW TO TAKE PART IN THE

MINI MARATHON

Registration is open for The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon.

Now in its 43rd year, the event is hosted by Cork Athletics. It raises approximately €1.5m for charities each year.

The 5km event will take place on September 22 at 1pm. The race starts on Kennedy Quay and finishes in Kennedy Park.

Keep an eye on the Mini Marathon Facebook page and website in the coming weeks for updates.

Participants can at /minimarathon

Nourish are the training partner. Brenda Dennehy is the brand ambassador.

A City Hall bag drop and registration will take place on Saturday, September 21 at Millennial Hall from 2-5pm and Sunday, September 22, Concert Hall, 10am to 2pm.

For more information on the day see https://www.corkathletics.org/mini-marathon/faq.html