Bláthnaid Mairéad Foley

7th December 2006

Bláthnaid Mairéad Foley passed away on the 16th of September 2006, 17 months after being
diagnosed with a cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. She lived

in Sligo and was 13 years old.

Bláthnaid was born on the 25th of March 1993 and was the second of four children, she has an older sister Sorcha
and younger brother and sister Connor and Ailbhe.

Ewing’s is a rare cancer that can develop anywhere in the body but is most commonly located in boney sites.
Fewer than 30 children a year are diagnosed with this illness in the UK and Ireland. The causes for Ewing’s remain
unknown and the survival rate is 30-40%. Bláthnaid complained of pain in her right side shortly after Christmas 2004
and when we finally came to be referred to Our Lady’s hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin in April 2005 her cancer
was widespread with metastases throughout her bones, her lungs and even her bone marrow.She commenced
chemotherapy three days after being admitted to hospital and continued a relentless regime every two and a half
weeks or so for the next 11 months.

In spite of all the treatment the chemo only served to impede the cancer and we were informed at the end of March
that there were no more options left except some palliative radiotherapy to ease her pain. Bláthnaid died in the early
hours of Saturday 16th September surrounded by her family. We are devastated at her loss.

She was an exceptional little person who had a capacity to love and care for those around her and was determined
to help those kids yet to be diagnosed with this cruel illness. We wish to carry out her last wishes to enable research
to be carried out to try and ensure that a child in the future does not suffer and die like our child.

Please help this worthy cause by contributing to Bank of Ireland Sligo, Sort Code 90-54-40,
Account number 48512494.

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