“Cancer absolutely devastated my family”

When Jennifer Sheridan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, her brother, Aiden, decided to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise money for the charity, Breast Cancer Ireland.

Jennifer’s diagnosis was the first health scare to hit the Sheridan family from Birchgrove, on the outskirts of Ballinasloe, but it wasn’t the last. Fast forward three years and cancer once again made its presence felt within the close-knit family when another member of the family, Mark, was also struck with the same disease.

“During the last conversation I had with Mark he was joking about my running 52 marathons after Jennifer was diagnosed and he said ‘you’re going to have to do something bigger for me’,” recalls his younger brother, Aiden.

That conversation stuck in Aiden’s mind, and four years after his brother’s untimely passing at just 53 years of age, the Ballinasloe father-of-two has now decided to swim the 245km length of the river Shannon to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society and East Galway & Midlands Cancer Support.

The Shannon swim will begin on July 15, 2022, and Aiden has embarked on a rigorous training regime to assist him in completing the challenge. He has also set up an iDonate fundraising page and is encouraging everyone to donate to the two worthy cancer charities.

“Cancer absolutely devastated my family,” he admits, and although Jennifer Sheridan, who runs the Tiny Tots Creche in Ballinasloe, thankfully survived her cancer scare and is now fit and healthy, Aiden says the passing of their beloved brother, Mark, from the same disease “left the whole family reeling.”

Mark, who has two adult sons, was complaining of a sore hip for some time but was only diagnosed with cancer at the end of August 2017.

He was admitted to University Hospital Galway for treatment but passed away just days later after taking ill suddenly. “He was admitted on a Friday and my mother got a phonecall on Monday morning to say that he had taken ill and he passed away when she was in the hospital with him, along with one of my other sisters, Gillian.”

Aiden has spoken to Mark, who is the second eldest of Eilish and Tommy Sheridan’s family of eight, the previous Friday before he went to Kerry for the weekend to run another marathon!

“It was then we had joked about what I would do to top the 52 marathons in 52 weeks that I had completed as my way of dealing with Jennifer’s cancer diagnosis,” says Aiden

“That conversation kept playing on my mind, so I have now decided to set myself the challenge of swimming the Shannon river, which will be tough, but it has been done before a few times so I am hoping that I will be able to accomplish it too,” he says.

A carpet fitter by trade, Aiden Sheridan gets up at 6.30am every morning and spends around two hours in the pool at the Maldron Hotel in Galway as part of his training regime for the Shannon swim. He then heads off to work for the day.

Meanwhile, his wife, Elaine, who works as an SNA in St. Teresa’s Special School in Ballinasloe, gets their two children, 12-year old Summer and Alex (10) out to school before heading to her own job.

It’s a busy household, but Aiden Sheridan’s wife and family are used to him taking part in marathons and raising money for various charity events over the years.

He has set himself a fundraising target of €50,000 for the Irish Cancer Society and for the East Galway & Midlands Cancer Support Service, which he says is run by “a wonderful group of people” and has been a great support to his parents and family since their journey with cancer began in 2015.

The “Sheridan Swims the Shannon” event will take place from July 15 next year to July 29, as Aiden Sheridan attempts to swim the 245km stretch of river in 14 days.

“It will be tough, but it will be worth it, and I would encourage everyone to make a donation because, as my family knows, cancer can strike anyone at any time, and it is so important that as much funding as possible is put into trying to find a cure for this devastating disease and into helping those who provide vital services to cancer patients and their families,” he says.

To find out more about the “Sheridan Swims the Shannon” fundraising event and to make a donation visit here