Public sponsor rubber ducks for Powering Pink Duck Race in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation
Katherine Tarrant from Loughrea, Co. Galway owner of the winning duck who has won a luxury weekend stay in the Conrad Hotel Dublin
Dublin, 29th October 2017: Thousands of pink rubber ducks raced down the River Liffey in Dublin today as part of the Powering Pink Duck Race in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation. The 3,000 ducks had been sponsored as part of a fundraising effort by the cancer Foundation with duck #2918 crossing the finish line first at the Talbot Memorial Bridge and winning its owner, Katherine from Tarrant, Co. Galway a luxury weekend at the Conrad Hotel Dublin. The race was adjudicated by Deloitte who recorded that winning Duck #2918 finished the 300m course in a time of 46 minutes. The Powering Pink Duck Race raised funds for Marie Keating Foundation’s breast cancer programmes and services including its Positive Living programme for women with metastatic breast cancer. Pfizer generously donated €1 for every duck sponsored.
Speaking at the finish line of the Powering Pink Duck Race in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation, Linda Keating, Director of Fundraising, the Marie Keating Foundation, said, “This was a fun, pink event but it had a serious cause at its heart. One in ten women in Ireland will get breast cancer in their lifetime so events like this make a real difference in helping us raise the funds. We need to keep our awareness services going to support women and families that are already affected by the disease. Thanks to everyone who sponsored a duck in the Powering Pink Duck Race we are continuing our Survive and Thrive programme supporting breast cancer survivors and our Positive Living course which supports women with metastatic breast cancer to cope with the physical, emotional and practical impact of their illness.”
Around 3,200 women in Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. The 5-year survival for all breast cancer patients in Ireland is greater than 80%. However, for those diagnosed at the metastatic stage it is less than 20%. Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer, in which cancer has spread beyond the breast to other organs in the body. Up to 30% of women with early breast cancer can subsequently progress to metastatic disease. Whilst there is currently no cure for metastatic breast cancer, there are treatments available to help delay the progression of the disease.
Dr Carla O’ Neill, Director of Nursing Services at the Marie Keating Foundation, said, “While more and more women are surviving breast cancer, the fight is far from over. One of the most important things that a woman can do for her own health is to be aware of how her breasts look and feel normally, so that if anything begins to change, she will notice and can talk to her GP straight away. This year, become more breast aware and ensure that you look and feel for changes every month.”
