Athlone’s Ray Conlon sets sights on the Limerick Marathon after cancer battle

Athlone native Ray Conlon is set to complete the Limerick Marathon on May 4 to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society, after overcoming a recent battle with cancer.

The local referee had been suffering from severe stomach pains. A hospital trip in November last led to Ray's diagnosis with cancer, and resulted in a seven-hour emergency surgery.

Ray received the news in early April that he was now cancer-free, and is preparing to take on the 26 mile marathon as part of the 'Give Cancer The Red Card' fundraising challenge.

“My diagnosis was very strange. In September, I was getting pains in my stomach, and on the scale of one to ten, these pains were at 15. They gave me painkillers and told me the pain should go away in a couple of days. I went home, and two weeks later the pains were as bad as ever.”

In November, Ray went back to the GP, who told him to go straight to the hospital. The doctors told Ray he had a tumor which was causing a tear in his bowel, and they would need to operate immediately to save his life.

“At this stage my stomach had swelled up and it was sticking out underneath my left rib. The pain was unbearable, and my heart rate was more than double what it should be. The surgeon came down dressed up in her full gear, and she asked if there was any history of cancer in my family, and I said my dad died 15 years ago from liver cancer.

“She told me they were going to do an emergency life-saving surgery, and if we didn’t, they were going to lose me in 24 hours. It was a life-or-death situation.”

The surgeon completed a seven-hour emergency surgery, which doctors called “one of the worst cases we have had to do on a stomach”. They had removed three quarters of Ray's bowel, and saved his colon.

Post-op, Ray spent two weeks in the hospital, including one week in the intensive care unit. There were 42 staples in his torso where he had been opened up, and a stoma bag had been installed to collect waste.

“I’d lost all the power in my body, and lost over a stone and a half in weight. I had to walk on day three after surgery, and I walked ten steps using a Zimmer frame. On day four, I walked twenty steps.

“After that, my daughter came down. I didn’t want her to see me using the Zimmer frame and struggling so much for life. I pushed it away and said come on Katie, let’s go for a walk. She motivated me and gave me the inspiration to keep on walking, keep on pushing and getting better.”

Ray was then put on a course of preventative chemotherapy and completed a total of four rounds through an IV drip and a daily tablet.

“[The diagnosis] was very, very tough to take in. You have to be strong and positive,” Ray said. “I had a successful surgery, and I was told I should make a full recovery, but they recommended chemo as a preventative action.”

Ray was told he would need months to recover, however, he returned to the football pitch just a month later.

“They told me I would possibly get back on the football pitch by April or May. The surgery was on November 6, and I was back on the pitch a month later on December 8,” he said, although he admitted that he still needed to build up his strength, after losing a stone and a half over the course of his illness.

“I was feeling stronger and more positive that the cancer had gone and that it wasn't going to come back.”

His love of football was a big factor which empowered him to keep pushing, and he noted the support from players and coaches as a motivator for him.

“Everyone thinks it’s just a game, but to me, it kept me alive. It gave me all the energy levels that I needed. I was inspired by the players and coaches, they knew my situation and they were so supportive to me on the pitch.”

The support of his loving partner Arlene Kelly, and his daughter Katie, was also instrumental in Ray's recovery.

“I never knew how much someone could love you until I got sick. Arlene got me through my dark days, and those dark days are really dark. I went through those ‘why me?’ days, and I cried a lot, but my partner got me through it. Arlene was there for anything I needed.

“My daughter also was always there with funny texts. She told me in the hospital ‘A winner never quits and a quitter never wins, and you've always being a fighter and a winner’ and that motivated me to get back up.

“My friend Malcom Whelan, and Tommy Flanagan, who is also a cancer survivor, were both there to make me smile, and my friends from football who got me back on the pitch. So if it wasn't for those guys, I wouldn't have gotten through it either.”

Ray is now setting out to complete the Limerick Marathon on May 4, alongside friends Martin Hatchett, Paul Berry, Declan Toland. Together they will complete a total of 26 miles 385 yards. He hopes to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society, to support further cancer research and play his part in saving someone else’s life in the future.

“We created a fundraiser called 'Give Cancer The Red Card' because I'm a referee. Currently we have €2,690 so far, donated by the wonderful people from the town.

“It's important to me to give back and raise money for cancer research, because the research saved my life. It's been such a crazy rollercoaster for me, and if I could help one person beat cancer, then I feel I'd be proud.”

Ray added: “I'm enjoying life now more than I ever have for the last two years because I didn't really know how sick I was until I had 24 hours left to live.

“I see things differently now. I beat it, I’m still here smiling and I’m here today as a survivor. Nothing can hurt me now.”

You can donate to Ray's 'Give Cancer The Red Card' fundraiser, here