10. Heading Home What a week

https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/PamCassidyMcCrea

Today we are packed up and now heading home. Today is looking forward to sleep and reflecting on the journey.

This diary has been my Genesis project . Since my Transplant, I have thought often about setting up a fundraiser but always found an excuse not to.

The day in Kilcullen- Countdown day , when we received our Irish Transplant Cap was effectively-“Get over yourself and do this” I signed up to the Beaumont Foundation that evening. The app Find Penguins appeared best suited for the project and I forwarded an early draft to a few people for comment. I owe my son Daire some thanks-( Yes, he paid up on his double donation for the gold- He thought he was the Poker ♣️ player- seen and raised son.). Anyway Daire read my practice diary entry and as the son of a blunt talking Northerner - laid it straight and said “ Mum- you need to read some blogs”

What I realised is, there are funny ones, reporting ones ( boring) and ones that come from the heart. ❤️. To connect - it had to be real.

Getting to know my Transplant family better, has been a joy. They are without doubt some of the craziest, funniest and full of the joys of life group, I have ever met and the latent nutter in me has been reawoken.

Why- because simply we all know how lucky we are. That’s why our donors and their families are always in our thoughts. Gratitude for that most precious of gifts will last a lifetime

I am including some athlete profiles tonight that will give you a sense of how sometimes normal life can quickly change with devastating effect.

I also include my final interview taken by roving Irish Supporter, photographer/videographer, Emma, who nabbed me after the Gold medal presentation. Doing my best to back out of it- Emma said - “You haven’t done one-we’ll keep it short- this is what I’ll ask”and thankfully Emma was true to her word.

Firstly, thank you to our Donors and their families - we compete only because of your gift of life.

To all those who have donated, shared, sent messages of support this week, I will never be able to fully express my gratitude. Thank you.

Thanks are due to the Athletes, Manager Harry, the travelling families -for friendship and allowing me to share their week and beyond.

Thanks also to Transplant Sport Ireland, Colin White of the IKA for sound advice, the interviewees, WTGF for Dresden 2025, the volunteers, James Nolan and the PKRF, Robbie Merrigan and The gift of Life Golf Challenge. But lastly, thanks to my family , Conal, Keelin, Rian, Daire, sister Rosie and sister in law Corona, who have been there for me during difficult times. 💕

The diary will remain on Find Penguins but only on the fundraising page of the Beaumont Foundation until the 25th September.

This trip now ends but the journey continues. 💕🍀 Pam

https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0824/1529964-heroi…Read more