TV marathon to help find a cure for rare cancer

TWO Northside students have taken part in a 24-hour live TV marathon in an effort to help find a cure for a classmate’s rare form of cancer.

DCU students Aisling Sinclair and Jack Power broadcast continuously from 9pm last Friday to 9pm on Saturday to raise funds for the Histiocytosis Research Trust.
Classmate and journalism student at DCU, Niamh Ní Ruarí, suffers from Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, a rare form of blood cancer that can cause tumours or damage vital organs.

The three students are all involved with DCU’s Media Production Society (MPS) and when it came to deciding which charity to raise funds for from the Bank of Ireland sponsored marathon, Niamh suggested the Trust that works to find a cure for the cancer she suffers from.

“Choosing to represent my cause reassures me that DCU cares about its students’ quality of life, no matter how rare their afflictions may be,

? she said.

“I am one in 200,000 people who have this illness and being supported by such a well-known fundraiser in DCU makes me feel considered as this disease is often ignored by society because of its rarity. I am delighted that Bank of Ireland chose to support the cause because it will raise so much badly needed money and give so much exposure to this unknown disease.

?

The Hystiocytosis Research Trust is a charity dedicated to promoting and funding scientific research into uncovering the causes of Niamh’s disease in the hope of one day finding a cure.
Trust Manager, Lynn Jackson, expressed her appreciation to DCUMPS and everyone involved in the broadcast.

“The DCUtv and Bank of Ireland 24 hour broadcast is a wonderful opportunity for the Histiocytosis Research Trust to raise much needed awareness for Histiocytic disorders,

? she said.

“It’s not often a charity gets a 24 hour broadcast opportunity like this and we thank Niamh, all of the production team, volunteers and sponsors for the airtime and for all of their hard work to make this a special time for Histiocytosis.

?

Fourth year Marketing, Innovation and Technology student, Jack Power, said the broadcast was an exciting event for everyone involved with DCUMPS.

“This is myself and Aisling’s final year being involved in the 24-hour broadcast,

? he added.

“The sense of community created between everyone involved has been a highlight for me. This year, we intend to go out with a bang and smash our target of

?¬4,000.

?

Aisling and Jack, who are past students of Dominican College in Drumcondra and Ardscoil Rís on Griffith Avenue, assisted in the production of shows throughout the 24-hour broadcast.
They included remakes of popular TV productions such as

‘The Late Late Toy Show’ and

‘Countdown’, along with eclectic originals such as

‘The Cheesecake Review’.

The broadcast’s flagship programme,

‘Top of the Socs’, pit the university’s societies against one another in a series of challenges.

This was the fifth year that DCUMPS broadcast the marathon. Last year’s 24-hour marathon was selected as winner of the

‘Best Event’ at the DCU Societies Awards.