Photo courtesy of Paul O’Sullivan, Donegal Online
It was an early alarm clock for Joe Coyle, Thomas Given and friends who began a 100km challenge this morning for Cancer Care West.
The charity walk from Mountcharles to Downings kicked off at 4am and is expected to take up to 24 hours to complete.
The team is driven by a mission to raise money for Cancer Care West and raise awareness of prostate cancer and the importance of getting checked.
Joe, a prostate cancer survivor, personally benefited from the support of the local charity throughout his treatment in recent years – leading to him wishing to give back to the service.
He is currently living in Mountcharles, but is a Downings native – making this route from the Donegal Bay to the north coast especially poignant.
Joe and Thomas – An avid walker and qualified walking guide, Joe has also been one of the guides on the popular annual Donegal Camino over the years.
The route traverses from Lough Eske to the twin towns of Ballybofey and Stranorlar and onto the home of Cancer Care West Donegal support centre in Letterkenny.
From here Joe and Thomas will continue their walk through Kilmacrennan and the beautiful Lough Salt and onto Carrigart, from where Joe will walk home to his original birthplace of Downings via the Atlantic Drive.
While the long trek will certainly be a challenge, Joe also notes that cancer was one too – and he is keen to show his fellow men the importance of getting checked early and avoiding a cancer diagnosis.
Joe invites everyone to donate to Cancer Care West Donegal via his iDonate page: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/JoeCoyle111. All proceeds go directly to the vital services which the cancer charity provide for men, women and children across Donegal who are on a cancer journey.
“The numbers of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer are increasing,” Joe said.
“Ultimately I’m pleading with men over 45 to go to their GP and get their PSA number (Prostate Signal Antigen which is a marker in the blood for Prostate Cancer) and become familiar with it. When I became aware of mine at the rate of 3.6. I wondered if I had just won the Lotto or was I on the way out? My GP felt that while it was under 4.00 there was no urgent cause for concern. The first test or reading is the most important as all future tests are benchmarked against that one. In my case my previous reading was 2.6”
You can track the walkers’ progress and donate here: https://www.getyourprostatechecked.ie/