Giving something back
West Cork is widely known for its stunning, rugged scenery and charming, culture-laden towns, but one of the best things about the place is an organisation you’ve probably never even heard of – West Cork Chevals. Part charity and part equestrian club, the organisation brings together horse riders and trap drivers from across the region and beyond in order to raise money for a variety of different charities, schools and causes. Participants meet regularly throughout the riding season (usually from January to May) at a series of events across West Cork, from Bantry to Ballydehob and Skibbereen to Castletownbere and beyond. The proceeds raised from each occasion flow directly to a chosen charity or cause.
All of this is happening a long, long way from North Tipperary, but for Nenagh woman Aisling Starr, and indeed her daughter Jenny Frawley, West Cork Chevals will always be close to heart. Eleven-year-old Jenny has had a tough couple of years. At age nine-and-a-half she was diagnosed with bone marrow failure, which immediately required intensive treatment in both Limerick, Crumlin and eventually Cambridge in the UK, where she received a bone marrow transplant. Aisling describes the entire experience as “a big ordeal”, but she says the situation was made at least somewhat easier by the Gavin Glynn Foundation, which helps children suffering from cancer and similar illnesses to travel overseas for specialised treatment. They stepped in to cover the family’s travel costs and accommodation, and Aisling says the family will be eternally grateful to them for their help and support.
However, Aisling, Jenny and the family wanted to give something back to the foundation. As luck would have it, Aisling had struck up a friendship with Kathleen O’Mahony, the current chairperson of West Cork Chevals. Kathleen generously offered to host a cheval in aid of the Gavin Glynn Foundation. It was an act of sheer kindness and Aisling and Jenny were delighted to accept. In the end, a hugely successful cheval was staged in Rosscarbery on May 24, raising €4,100 for the foundation.
Amazing response
Because of the geography it is an unusual story. West Cork feels like another universe to most people in North Tipperary, and so Aisling was forced to explain the connection to the many Nenagh shops and businesses which contributed to the fundraiser. Ultimately, however, all knew about Jenny’s story and there were some extremely generous donations. “The response was absolutely amazing,” Aisling says. “The people of Nenagh, the business people in particular, were absolutely amazing. I could walk down the streets of Nenagh and look at every shop and business and say each one of them made some kind of contribution,” she emphasises. Even West Cork Chevals couldn’t believe the generosity that had been shown, she adds.
Jenny, the girl at the centre of it all, is now gradually and steadily recovering, slowly immersing herself back into normal life once again. The Burgess National School pupil received heart-warming support from both the school staff and her classmates throughout the experience, but perhaps the greatest act of selflessness and generosity in this entire story came from another member of Jenny’s own family – her older sister Evelyn. It was Evelyn who supplied the donor bone marrow for the transplant. That critical life-saving action demanded that she self-isolate beforehand and then travel over to Cambridge. “She made that conscious decision to do that for her sister. She did her duty,” Aisling says proudly. The two girls’ brother, Eugene, is also delighted to have Jenny back at home and recovering.
Road to recovery
Like Aisling, Jenny’s father John Frawley had to experience the trauma and anxiety of seeing his daughter unwell with a serious condition. Needless to say, he too is hugely relieved that she is now on the road to recovery. Thankfully, that road has so far been relatively smooth. Jenny still requires regular check-ups and appointments in Dublin and Limerick, but step-by-step she is making progress. Aisling, who works in Nenagh Hospital, praises the medical professionals who have treated her daughter along the way in both Ireland and the UK. Like the Gavin Glynn Foundation, they have made the whole ordeal just a little bit easier.
She also says she wants to recognise the support and assistance of James Archdeacon, a West Corkman whom she happened to be seeing and who effectively created the link to Kathleen and Tony O’Mahony and West Cork Chevals.
She says that the Rosscarbery Cheval, which she attended along with her close friend Jacinta Glasgow back in May, was an amazing experience, while the recent cheque presentation was also a hugely enjoyable celebration.
Behind every cheval there is a story. This one has a happy ending.