I drove to the seaside town of Youghal, Co Cork, to meet with John Landers, a dairy farmer. John had invited me to come and visit the new cancer support facility that will open its doors on 24 May at 29 Friar Street in the town of Youghal.

It was formally a thriving B&B business. It will be known as Cuan House, Cork Arc Cancer Support Centre for east Cork and west Waterford. It will open on Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm initially, and it is expected that the service will build on demand.

John was immensely relieved that the project was finally coming to fruition after a genesis in 2013. Volunteerism is a worthy pastime. It is rewarding for the participants but is also terribly taxing when things don’t go according to plan. This project has taken longer to get off the ground than the organisers anticipated. Anthony O’Driscoll, also a dairy farmer, is the current chair of the group.

John had given me the address of the house that was planned for the project. It is straight across from Cooper’s Kitchens and Robes but I was a little disorientated as I drove along the street. Youghal has a one-way system so I didn’t want to miss it. I shouldn’t have worried. John was out on the road, waving to guide me to the drive alongside the house.

There is parking for a few cars at the rear of the building. John had come straight from the milking parlour and looked trim after a busy calving season. We joked about the weight we’d lost over the season and hoped we could keep it off!

It’s remarkable how busy farmers find time to help others. John has been dedicated to this project since 2009. He and all involved are delighted that the service will finally be up and running. We headed in to meet Clare O’Neill who will run the service.

PROJECT INCEPTION

The project began when some ladies in the area who had completed their cancer treatment felt they needed more support outside of their families and close friends during that difficult time.

Thérèse O’Connell finished her own treatment in 2009. She had used the services of Arc House in Cork city and she wanted to offer that kind of emotional support and counselling in Youghal.

Arc House helped Thérèse to get started. There were 10 women, all cancer survivors, at the first meeting and they decided to start fundraising. They were heartened by the generosity of the people.

Through various friendships and family connections, the farmers came on board. John Landers and Anthony O’Driscoll were involved with the IFA and they knew that the IFA in north Cork had run a very successful calf auction there. They decided to hold one in Dungarvan.

Calves poured in along with donations and the money started to gather. €100,000 was raised and the ladies had matching money. A new group of directors was put in place to manage the money and the fundraising continued.

The next step was to source suitable premises for the centre in Youghal town. It proved a tough task and has taken a number of years to find, purchase and ready it. A major breakthrough came when Arc House came on board. This brought the professionalism that was needed to the project.

ABOUT ARC HOUSE

ARC stands for Aftercare, Research and Counselling. Cork ARC Cancer Support House is a voluntary organisation established to provide a holistic centre in which people with cancer and their families can find emotional support and practical help.

It services Cork, west Cork, north Kerry, south Kerry, Limerick and Waterford. There are also centres in Dublin and now Youghal. The registered charity is affiliated to the Irish Cancer Society.

The aim is to provide therapies which support people during and after treatment. The centre is for carers, patients and their families and for all cancer types. It provides an information service along with other supports and counselling.

All the services are provided in a calm and caring environment and are free of charge with a view to alleviating and managing the stress caused by a cancer diagnosis.

CLARE O’NEILL

Claire O’Neill has been appointed to run the service. She says that it is important for people to be able to talk to people outside their families and to get information from someone who will be impartial and speak openly and honestly with them.

“There are questions that they want to ask and sometimes people do want to talk about dying but now it is more about living with cancer and managing your life because more and more people are surviving cancer,” she said.

Clare brings 30 years of clinical oncology nursing experience to her new role. She has a BSc in breast cancer nursing and an MBA in health executive management. She has worked in the Cork Arc centre for eight years. She will still spend two days in Cork and one in Youghal.

Clare’s experience as a complementary therapist will bring knowledge and support to the volunteer therapists who offer their time free of charge to people.

Clare stresses that her volunteers are valuable and need to be properly looked after. She says that they bring enormous benefits to their communities.

The Cuan House is ready to support Clare in her planning of the ARC House facilities and the rollout of the service to this new catchment area. One woman, Thérèse O’Connell, started it all and now there is something substantial in the area to support cancer patients and their families.

The Cuan House group are particularly thankful to all the businesses in the town that have assisted them to date and which often give their services free of charge.

Call Claire on 021 4276688 or email eastcork@corkcancersupport.ie for further information. CL