REMARKABLE RESPONSE FOR SONIA
THERE has been a phenomenal response to the appeal launched last week by the family of sports star Sonia Hoey so that she can travel to Mexico to receive treatment for cancer.
The people of Dundalk have opened their hearts and the SOS Save Our Sonia appeal set up to raise money so that the 42-year-old who was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer in February 2019 can travel to Mexico to avail of treatment which is not available in Ireland, is set to top €100,000.
Her niece Sonia set up the appeal on GoFundMe explaining that her aunt had been almost a year in remission when she was told last July that the incurable cervical cancer had returned and had spread to her lungs.
‘She underwent an aggressive treatment of radiation and chemotherapy every day for two months. She was almost a year in remission when we got the sad news for the second time in July 2020,
‘Because Sonia has received the maximum dose of radiation, she can’t undergo this treatment again, and so all that is being offered to her is palliative care. The tumours are inoperable and incurable. We have been given twelve months to spend with her while she is receiving chemotherapy treatment that leaves her very sick.’
Her devastated family were not happy to accept this and have been researching treatment options abroad.
‘ The best option that we have found is through the Hope for Cancer clinic in Mexico who will offer non-toxic protocols that will improve her overall condition and help shrink her tumours,’ says her niece.
They set up the GoFundMe page to raise €80,000 - the cost of the three week treatment programme in Mexico.
‘ This is our last hope and we would really appreciate any donation you could make. We appreciate that everyone is going through a tough time with the pandemic but any support would mean a lot to us all,’ says her neice Sonia.
Sonia is already preparing to travel for the treatment and is following a strict diet and using alternative treatments to help suppress the cancer.
An avid sportswoman, Sonia played with Dundalk FC, Peamount Ladies FC and Blackrock FC. She won the FAI Cup Final with Dundalk FC in 2005 and was named Argus Sports Star of the Year in 2005 for her achievements. She also captained the DkIT football college team and won the Interprovincial college tournament. Sonia played Gaelic with her local club Dowdallshill and with Louth’s women’s team. She the first player to take her place in the Castletown Belles FC Hall of Fame recently.
Dundalk FC have rowed in with their support and are aiming to have the largest attendance at a League of Ireland match for their upcoming derby with Drogheda United, with all proceeds from ticket sales going to her camapign.
Read more on this on page 69. Virtual tickets are priced at €5 and are available now from shop. dundalkfc.com. All proceeds will go to the #SaveOurSonia campaign.