A DUBLIN man is running a marathon to help give his three-year-old neighbour with leukaemia “a magical Christmas and try keep him smiling”.
Theo Hogan’s parents Danielle and Paul received the devastating news of his Acute Myeloid Leukaemia diagnosis a couple of weeks ago.
And kind-hearted neighbour Jonathan Daly wants to do all he can to help – and is running a marathon to raise funds to give Theo the best Christmas ever.
Jonathan told the Irish Sun: “The way things are going, nobody knows at the minute so it’s just about trying to give him the best Christmas and hopefully he will get spoiled rotten, that’s the main aim.”
RAY OF SUNSHINE
Jonathan said Theo is a “ray of sunshine.”
He said: “In the hospital, he is amazing the doctors, nurses and the team at the minute because he is so bubbly and chatty.
“They can’t believe how excited and happy he still is, even though we sell sick. He is still full of energy.”
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Little Theo is waiting on a bone marrow donor for a transplant.
Jonathan said: “As far as I know, it hasn’t spread as much as they thought at the minute, so fingers crossed.
“They are waiting on a match for his bone marrow and that’s going to be the next stage.”
FUND PLAN
The caring neighbour only started running during lockdown last year – and now plans to run a marathon around the streets of Dublin on December 4.
And on his Go Fund Me page, he has already raised over €5,000 towards his €10,000 goal.
Jonathan said: “I just decided to start up the GoFundMe page and in the space of two or three days it blew up. And everybody from the area came together.
“I shared it on Facebook and everybody was so supportive of it straight away.”
The “community have all been hit by this news” and hopes their support brings some comfort to Theo’s parents.
Jonathan said: “Hopefully they bring him away somewhere after Christmas, probably Disneyland or somewhere like that.”
Theo’s parents cannot be at work while they stay with Theo in hospital, while also looking after his sister Kelis.
Jonathan said: “It’s basically 24/7, taking turns of staying in the hospital with him each night. One of them stays at home with the daughter.”
He added: “Theo is a little bubbly child. He is mad for the dinosaurs.
“I would have seen him around the area all the time. A little happy child that loves the motorbikes. Always active, always playing around. A happy little child.”
Jonathan is urging people to donate and “to try to help them have a special Christmas”.
He said: “He is in this environment now and atmosphere and sort of realises that there’s something going on, but he’s not fully aware of the minute.
“He’s going to be, as he gets sick in the coming weeks and months when he gets the operation.”
MARATHON MAN
Jonathan hopes Theo might be able to watch him finish his marathon, for which the company he works for, Maor Scaffolding, has also sponsored the finish line.
It will feature big banners, blow-up dinosaurs and a DJ.
He said: “We’re hoping to have Theo there for an hour. They ran it by the doctors there and they’re hoping that he will be able to get out for an hour.”
Some of Theo’s family members will be joining Jonathan for the last few kilometres.
Jonathan said: “We’re going to go the last few kilometres, back down the northside of the quays, back down by Liberty Hall and up Gardiner Street, then back into the finish line. That’s the plan.
“I’m expected to finish between half 10 and a half 11am. I start out at 7am. Hopefully, he’ll (Theo) be down at the finish.”
- YOU can donate towards the fund HERE.
