'My mission was to make him smile'
A ten-year-old boy undergoing chemotherapy had his spirits uplifted last week when gardaí and members of Killaloe Coast Guard took part in a 'drive-by' at his home in Portroe.
Joey Moran has been undergoing treatment for a rare form of brain cancer over the last 12 months. Son of Alan Moran from Annbrook Heights in Nenagh and Emma McCormack-Moran of Cloneybrien, Portroe, Joey has been through three rounds of surgery to remove the tumour. He is now undergoing chemotherapy but, due to a difficulty with platelets, can only receive the treatment at certain times. He has been quite ill, lacking energy and having difficulty eating.
But he got a great boost last Wednesday evening when Joey was surprised to see Kilalloe Garda and Coast Guard units arriving at his home in Drom Slinne and taking him for a spin around the estate. The visit was organised by Tracy Howard, who took the opportunity to warmly thank everyone involved.
"It was absolutely brilliant," she said of the drive-by and what it meant to Joey. "He smiled, and that was my mission: to make Joey smile.
"It happened at the perfect time because he was on a bit of a down; he wasn't great in himself. I had been chatting to Emma and she said he hadn't smiled in so long and he hadn't laughed, so my mission was to make him smile."
Originally from Limerick and living in O'Brien's Bridge, Tracy had no connection to Joey or his family until earlier in the year when she put out a Facebook appeal for children that might be worthy of receiving an Easter hamper. Joey was the first of nine nominations, all of whom she chose and presented with a hamper. But the Portroe boy left a particular resonance with her.
"When I saw Joey, he entered my heart and he hasn't left it; that's the only way I can describe it," Tracy said, adding that her father had had a brain tumour.
Having set up a GoFundMe campaign last April to support Joey and his family with online donations, Tracy also asked businesses in Portroe, Ballina, Killaloe and the surrounding areas to contribute to a fundraising hamper. Over €800 worth of vouchers and gifts were donated to the hamper, the winning ticket for which was recently drawn by Joey at the Borúma Gastro Bar in Ballina.
Taking the opportunity to thank Jamie at Borúma for hosting the draw, Tracy spoke highly of the generosity of spirit in the local area. "I know Tipp and Clare have had their differences! But when it comes to community spirit, you couldn't pick two better counties to come together and support a good cause."
Donations are still being accepted on the GoFundMe web page 'Joey Morans journey with a rare brain tumour'.