Ballagh brothers set to ‘Chase the Sun’ in memory of their mother

Two Ballaghaderreen brothers will this weekend ‘Chase the Sun’ in memory of their mother who lost her brave battle with cancer in May.

James and David Kilcullen are nearing the end of a month-long training plan to complete the 209-mile cycle on Saturday in memory of their mother, Mabel.

On Saturday, June 22nd cyclists from several countries will complete the ‘Chase the Sun’ challenge run by UK based Macmillan Cancer Support. The 209-mile cycle is held annually in the month of June.

In Ireland the cycle will start at sunrise in Belfast and finish in Enniscrone, County Sligo.

James Kilcullen, a former Sligo player, is being joined in the challenge by his brother David, and several friends from Ballaghaderreen to Tyrone.

James, who now lives Armagh with his wife Noeleen, spoke about how he and his family are coping with the loss of their mother, who sadly lost her battle with cancer in May. “It was expected from the diagnosis, but it still doesn’t make it any easier. I suppose we had time to prepare ourselves and to take each day as it comes,” James told the Roscommon Herald.

Mabel and her husband Paddy Joe were originally from Dromard, County Sligo but later moved to Ballaghaderreen because of Paddy Joe’s job with An Garda Siochana. She was working in Ballymote in a nursing home when she received the diagnosis in April of last year and began receiving chemotherapy treatment at Sligo University Hospital.

Louise and Karen, James and David’s sisters, took care of their mother as they lived close to her. In December Mabel made the decision to come off chemotherapy and was treated by the community nurse while remaining in close contact with the Hospice team.

Mabel did not let her cancer diagnosis stop her everyday life, going for walks and meeting her friends, but later moved into palliative care with the North West Hospice, sadly passing away on May 12th last.

James, who works as a maintenance technician, had been training for the cycle before his mother’s passing, but her passing gave him new found motivation to complete the challenge.

“The training plan was given out when I signed up for the cycle. Being a father of three, it was hard to stick to that plan, but I tried to get out as much as I could, just trying to get as many miles in as possible over the last three to four months,” he said.

He added that remaining active in the days and weeks following his mother’s death helped him during the grieving process.

“I wouldn’t be one to sit around and mope, and my mother wouldn’t want that. You get on with it as much as you can, I’ve always been active, so it comes naturally enough. The period there when mam was in the hospice, the regime was gone, your life is just put on hold for a while. When you have a target like the cycle you’re looking forward to, it gives you a reason to get back on the bike,” he said.

The cycle will have a particularly sentimental finish for the Kilcullen brothers, as the end of the route will pass their mother’s road where she was raised.

“The cycle route passes the end of the road where she grew, it’s ironic. We’ll be tired at that stage, but it will give us a lift,” he said.

James had originally setup a GoFundMe for his mother but changed the goal of the page for his friend Nial Kane from Meath, who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Nial recently received positive news on his diagnosis. “He’s got the all clear. That’s two sides to the story there, Nial getting all clear and mam passing away, so it’s bittersweet.” 

You can donate to James’ GoFundMe through the ‘Give what you can’ page on GoFundMe.ie.