This weekend, Heather Troy will take on The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon, as a personal challenge in tribute to her beloved mother, Kay, and in support of the Crann Centre – which helped her family through some of their most difficult years.
Earlier this year, Heather and her family said goodbye to Kay following her courageous journey after suffering a stroke linked to cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) – a condition that causes a build up of protein in the blood.
While no family is ever prepared for such a diagnosis, Heather says the support they received from Crann helped transform what could have been a very different experience.
Three years ago, while on holiday in Paris, a city she loved deeply, Kay suffered a stroke, which had a profound impact on her life. Once active, energetic, she faced significant physical, visual, and cognitive challenges when she returned home to Cobh.
As Heather shared, “Her left side was badly affected, so was her vision. Her cognitive senses were very much lessened. When she came home from France three years ago, she would put her hand out in front of her as she was nervous when walking.”
At Crann, Kay accessed a range of supports designed to help people with neuro-physical disabilities live fuller, more independent lives. Through counselling, rehabilitation, cognitive support, and community connections, Kay regained confidence and hope.
“With the support of the Crann Centre, who offered mum counselling, who worked on her cognitive senses, who gave her back confidence, there was a chance we’d get mum back.”
“We got her back as a mother, a wife, and a granny.”
Kay became an advocate and fundraiser for Crann in her Cobh community. Heather remembers the strong sense of community her mother found at the Centre, and how important that connection became during a challenging chapter of her life.
When Kay passed away in February, that support did not end. Heather and her father continued to receive aftercare and support from Crann, helping them navigate life after their loss.
Following her mother’s passing, Heather felt compelled to take part and raise funds for the organisation that had meant so much to her family.
Training from her home in Galway while regularly travelling to Cork to support her father, Heather has embraced the challenge with remarkable determination. Supported by family and friends (she’ll be cheered on by her three children at the finish line!), she has already exceeded her fundraising target.
Everyone at Crann would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Heather for choosing to support us in this way.
We’re incredibly grateful to Heather for sharing her story – a reminder of why fundraising events like the Mini Marathon matter. Every euro raised helps us continue providing life-changing supports, therapies, wellbeing services, counselling, and community programmes for children and adults living with neuro-physical disabilities and their families.
As Heather crosses the finish line this weekend, we will be cheering her on every step of the way. Good luck, Heather, and thank you for helping us create more stories of hope, recovery, and connection for families across Ireland. ❤️
You can support her fundraiser here: https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/HT41983969
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Want to join us at the Mini Marathon on Sept 20th? Sign up & let Darran know you’re joining us!