The remarkable journey made by Donegal cancer patients who travel to Galway for essential treatment is to be subject of a fascinating documentary to be shown on TG4 next Wednesday night, April 19.
Twice a week cancer patients from Donegal board a bus and travel the five hours and 200 kilometres to receive cancer treatment in University College Hospital Galway, their nearest treatment centre.
When in Galway they take residence in Cancer Care West’s Inis Aoibhinn for the week, a haven away from the hospital where people help each other and rejuvenate as a group.
Next Wednesday TG4 will broadcast the documentary on that remarkable odyssey. Entitled Turas na hAilse - The Cancer Journey, this endearing documentary follows them as they make this journey together, exhibiting resilience, generosity, and spirit under difficult but unifying circumstances.
Two of the people who use the facilities of Inis Aoibhinn are Treasa Ní Ghallachóir and James McConn.
Treasa Ní Ghallachóir who lives in the townland of Glasserchoo, in the parish of Cloughaneely, Co. Donegal was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 53.
To receive radiotherapy treatment, Treasa had to travel five hours to Galway on Bus Feda, without which she would be stranded. While she was receiving treatment in Galway, Treasa had to constantly find somebody to care for her beloved dogs Frankie and Tess.
Treasa uses the services of the ‘Good and New Cancer Bus’ which was set up to offer a free service to those travelling to Galway for treatment.
James McConn a farmer from Three Trees, Quigley’s Point, Co Donegal had to travel 290km to Galway to receive radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer.
At 72 years of age, James had to wake at 4am on a Monday morning, make his own way on the 45km trip to Letterkenny, and board the ‘Good and New Cancer Bus’ to Inis Aoibhinn in Galway where he would take residence whilst receiving radiotherapy.
On Friday, James returns to Donegal on the Good and New Cancer Bus, embarking on another 290km journey, repeating this for seven weeks in total in order to receive the treatment he needed.
The Good and New Cancer Bus was founded by Eamonn McDevitt.
“All our people are volunteers. We have three bus drivers, Fergus Cleary, Plunkett Martin and myself,” he sayd.
“Every penny comes from ordinary people doing ordinary things and without those people with the greatest will in the world with the drivers and the buses we couldn’t do it without those people doing that. This service is run on a voluntary basis.
In the programme, bus driver Fergus Cleary talks about getting up at 4.50am every Friday so he can be in Galway to collect the patients shortly after 8am to bring them back home to Donegal for the weekend.
He does this to make the difference to the passengers who appreciate it.
The documentary will air on TG4 next Wednesday, April 19 at 8.30pm.
