Aaron McKeogh (25), from Kilbarrack, completed his first half-marathon last year in aid of the Irish Cancer Society.
He chose the charity after his friend, Adam Dowd, was diagnosed with lymphoma in January 2023, shortly after returning home from serving with the Irish Army as part of the United Nations peace-keeping force in Syria.
He is has created a Dublin Marathon fundraiser for the Irish Cancer Society, hoping to raise €1,200 in support of his friend, with whom he has been close since secondary school.
“Last year, when I did the half-marathon, so many people reached out to say they’d started running because of it,” he said.
“That was inspiring, but also, just being able to share my friend’s story was important to me.
“When you’re doing a fundraiser, you can’t just say, ‘I don’t feel like it today’. It gives you that extra push when you need to get out of bed in the morning, and you know there’s no backing out now,” he added.
Aaron with his good friend Adam Dowd, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2023
Speaking about his friend’s diagnosis, he said Adam was serving in Syria with the Irish Army when he first noticed signs of illness.
“When he told me, it hit me like a train. He was kind of playing it down, but I knew immediately how serious it was,” Mr McKeogh said.
“At the time, they didn’t have the facilities to tell him what was wrong. They couldn’t confirm anything until he got home.
“Luckily, he came back when he did – if he’d stayed any longer, I don’t know if he’d be here now,” he added.
Adam has been through every possible treatment for his condition and is now receiving a treatment that delivers medication into his blood to fight the cancer.
Mr McKeogh said that, at present, “things are looking better” and they are hopeful there might be a chance of remission.
He also said that the Irish Army has been a great support, covering Adam’s various treatments and keeping him on the payroll.
“Adam wanted the money raised for the Irish Cancer Society to help others in his position, as well as support research,” he said.
“He wasn’t surprised that I was taking on the challenge. He just said ‘good luck’, because he knows how daunting it is.
“I was nervous signing up, but that’s something that made me want to do it even more, because it scared me,” he added.
