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Archive for March, 2015

Forever And Ever

Tuesday, March 31st, 2015

Sheila Foley, my Mother, my solid rock foundation finally passed away at 13.03 Sunday 29th March. We are absolutely devastated and thank our many friends for their kind wishes. Mam has had 27 chemo sessions, a hip operation and several other length hospital stays also countless days and nights sick and in severe pain at home since she was first diagnosed with cancer almost 2 years and 9 months ago.
Such was her strength if she was a boxer Katie Taylor would have been in trouble, had she been an ultra runner I would have been in serious trouble so much was her fighting spirit, her endurance, perseverance and typically she never once complained about her cruel bad luck.
Mam lived to be less than 4 weeks short of her 80th birthday which will soon be another sad day for us. She also ate healthily, never drank alcohol and gave up smoking cigarettes 30 years ago. In her last few days I was amazed at her strong heart for she fought off about eight long countdowns which tried to take her last breath away, each time recovering  before nature ultimately took its cruel course, this was also so difficult for us as we all had to go through the emotional goodbye process. In the end it was best for her as we wanted her to maintain her lofty dignity and quality of life. We literally ate, slept and mostly showered in the hospital for a week, without much sleep. A week ago Mam was given 48 hours and just like her cancer prognosis she outlived this too. I am sure she would have lived to be a 100 years young otherwise, such an outgoing and outdoors person that she was.
Myself my sister Ann Salmon and brother Brian Mangan and her six grandchildren Gary, Serena, Mark, Laura, Sarah and Brian jnr  all agree that because of her tough morals, wisdom, bravery and vision in a conservative Ireland during the 1960′s and ’70′s  that we all had a very tough upbringing, she set us up hardened for successful lives.  Mam and us can all boast that a police officer has never knocked on her door nor at a door of any of her six grandchildren’s houses despite a very tough life all three of us children have had. Us three  children know we could easily have taken a wrong turn and gone horribly astray.

Mam met John Foley the true love of her life in 1988. She was about 53, And John was much older.They shared about 16 years of married bliss with never an angry word exchanged. John was the ultimate gentleman and totally devoted to Mam before he died in 2008. She dearly missed him. Mam is now on her way to meet him. Their favourite song has always been Forever and Ever

Our family would like to thank the staff of St James Hospital especially Professor Kennedy, Ethel , doctors ,nurses and even the cleaners and canteen staff loved her so much that they kept checking on her well being providing endless tea, coffee and sandwiches, Mam even had us empty our bin and clean her room to save the cleaners the trouble!
I would also like to thank my sister Ann Salmon who couldn’t have done anymore to care for Mam such was her devotion, Mam has always been Anns and our greatest friend! Mam was also my greatest supporter and I am told was so proud of all my running achievements having also read every single word of my world run blog  theworldjog.com
I will miss her, my true inspiration and perseverance for she wouldn’t let me shorten my world run after her cruel cancer diagnosis. I have enjoyed our last five months together living with Mam, preparing her porridge in the morning and helping relieve the strain on Ann even slightly.
We all have different ways to survive, mine will be to run the UVU North Pole marathon My kind sponsor Richard Donovan kindly gave me an entry with a week long trip there as my reward for running around the world! We depart on Easter Sunday! thank you Richard!
Rest in peace Mam we will never stop loving you, Always loved you, and we always wil.

funeral details:

The death has occurred of Sheila FOLEY (FORMERLY MANGAN) (née Kelly)
Dublin

  • Sheila Foley (formerly Mangan)
Foley (nee Kelly) (formerly Mangan) Sheila (late of Oscar Square, S.C.R. Dublin 8. March 29th, 2015 peacefully surrounded by her loving family at St. James’ Hospital. Beloved wife of the late John and loving mother of Tony, Brian and Ann. Sadly missed by her loving family, her sisters, son-in-law John, daughter-in-law Norah, her grandchildren Gary, Serena, Mark, Laura, Sarah and Brian, her special friend Betty, relatives, neighbours and friends. 

May she rest in peace

 

Reposing at the Massey Bros Funeral Home, The Coombe. Removal tomorrow,Tuesday evening, to St. Teresa’s Church, Donore Avenue arriving at 5.30pm. Funeral on Wednesday after 10am Mass to Mount Jerome Cemetery. All enquires to Massey Bros 01 4533333.

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About Tony

I have always considered myself to be an average runner. In school, I was even bullied for I was a sports wimp. Through hard work, dedication, perseverance, self-belief and a strong mind I succeeded in not only running around the world but breaking four ultra running world records during my competitive career. Having previously cycled around the world I didn't start running until I was almost 30. Then I had a dream of running around the world. For many reasons, I waited for over 20 years. One reason was to establish my pedigree as an endurance athlete. I started and finished my world run as the current World Record-Holder for 48 Hours Indoor Track 426 kilometres (265 miles), a record I have held since 2007. I also broke and still hold the World Record for 48 hours on a Treadmill 405 kilometres (251 miles) in 2008. When I retired from competition, more pleasing than any of my world, European or Irish records I had the respect of my fellow athletes from all over the world - in my opinion, sports greatest reward - an achievement I am most proud of. Then I finally put myself out to pasture, to live my ultimate dream to run around the world! This blog was written on the road while I struggled to find places to sleep and to recover from running an average of 43.3 kilometres or 27 miles per day for 1,165 road days. There were many nights I typed this blog on a smart phone, so fatigued my eyes closed. Many journalists and endurance athletes have referred to my world run as the most difficult endurance challenge ever attempted. During my expedition I rarely had any support vehicles, running mostly with a backpack. In the more desolate areas I pushed my gear, food and water in a cart which I called Nirvana, then I sent her on ahead to run with my backpack once again over altitudes of almost 5,000 metres in the Andes. I stayed in remote villages where many people had never seen a white person before. I literally met the most wonderful people of this world in their own backyard and share many of those amazing experiences in this blog. My run around the world took 4 years. There were no short cuts, I ran every single metre on the road while seeking out the most comprehensive route across 41 countries, 5 continents, I used 50 pair of running shoes and my final footstep of the run was exactly 50,000 kilometres, (almost 31,000 miles) I eventually finished this tongue in cheek named world jog where I started, at the finish line of my city marathon. I started my global run with the Dublin Marathon on October 25th 2010 and finished with the Dublin Marathon on October 27th 2014 at 3 05pm! Thank you for your support, I hope you can share my unique way of seeing the world, the ultimate endurance challenge! Read more...

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