Fundraiser organised as Mayo woman receives third cancer diagnosis in less than eight years

Regina Duffy has been diagnosed with cancer three times in less than eight years.

An event to help raise funds for cancer treatment for Mayo woman Regina Duffy will take place at House of Plates restaurant in Castlebar later this month. Regina (38), a native of Westport and a teacher at St. Colman’s College in Claremorris, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer towards the end of 2018, her third cancer diagnosis in less than eight years. Regina requires treatment for a rare brain disease, treatment not available in Ireland, and research into the options available led her to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, world leaders in the treatment of Regina’s condition, where she had a consultation last month. Thanks to a major cross-community fundraising campaign, including a GoFundMe page which over 6,000 people have donated to in less than a month, almost €400,000 was raised for Regina to begin treatment in New York earlier this week. Regina’s sister, Adele Duffy, told the Mayo News that the response to fundraising efforts and the huge outpouring of support has been “breathtaking”, and said that the Duffy family have been “moved to tears by the incredible kindness and generosity shown by so many people”. Adele said that Regina is expected to spend four months receiving treatment in New York and while the initial target of €370,000 has been met, fundraising efforts will continue to meet the potentially substantial cost of the treatment in the future.

"€370,000 was the starting point, not the end point by any means. "Our efforts will continue unabated, as Regina will potentially require substantial additional funding. Should we reach a point down the road when Regina no longer requires the fund, any remaining money will be donated to charity. "But for now, our focus remains firmly fixed on ensuring she has access to any treatment she needs. For this reason, we are asking people to continue to support the many fundraisers we have planned over the coming months".

One of those fundraisers will take place on Wednesday, 20 February in House of Plates, Castlebar, which will host a set dinner menu, served family style. Tickets are priced at €50 and are pre-sale only - first come, first served – and all money from ticket sales will go to raise funds for Regina. Tickets will be on sale from House of Plates; more information is available on their Facebook page. Donations towards Regina’s treatment can also be made via Regina’s Fight for Life GoFundMe page.