Granny I am running the Berlin marathon in your memory.

“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.”
This quote by author, historian and philosopher, Thomas Carlyle rings very clear the
importance and value of quality healthcare.
The Mater Foundation is one prime example of the quality healthcare necessary in our
society today.
The foundation, which has a primary focus on patient care, makes it their mission to
invest in quality medical technologies, necessary medical research and prides
themselves on providing only the best and most comfortable care for their patients.
It's foundations like The Mater Foundation that have played a significant role in my life
and why I’m making it my mission to give back and show my gratitude and support in
return.
My late grandmother, Sheila Iris Kelly Gliddon, lost her battle to lung cancer in
September 2021 at the age of 79.
During her battle with cancer, she spent months in and out of both public and private
hospitals, seeing doctor after doctor and being cared for by several nurses and other
hospital staff.
Having had the close relationship and strong bond that I did with my grandmother,
watching her go through this illness was very difficult for me; and eventually losing her
to cancer, was unimaginable and heartbreaking to the core.
We know it was granny’s time and, as a family, we have found peace with that.
However, I can’t help but wonder if better intervention and access to research,
technology and grant programmes were available to her, as offered by The Mater
Foundation, would we have had a little more time with her?
My wife, Carryn, works as a medical doctor in Ireland and day in and day out she is
faced with patients from all walks of life, battling all kinds of illnesses and ailments. I see
Carryn daily giving her all into her job and see the sacrifices that she and her colleagues
make for their patients, to provide the best care. Unfortunately, on their own, as medical
practioners, they are only able to do so much.
This is why The Mater Foundation is so valuable and important. Providing funding to
this foundation allows doctors like my wife to go above and beyond just their call of duty,
they are able to have access to equipment, technology, research and resources which
otherwise wouldn’t be available to them or their patients.

This is why I pledge to not only race but to raise funds for the Mater Foundation, an
organization that extends itself to provide only the best for its patients. However, they
are not able to do it on their own. The onus of proper healthcare and patient care is
often solely put on the shoulders of those in the medical field. But what if you can make
a difference with just a donation?
I dare you to take on the challenge, dare you to extend beyond yourself and to make a
difference in the lives of others. Cliché as it may be, a little does go a long way, and in
this case, your donation could go the distance in saving the lives of others.
Your donation is a way of demonstrating love in action.

Granny, this is for you...