Cork dad's #nomakeupselfie a special thanks to those who helped his little girl

This week social media - driven by ordinary people - once again wielded its power and achieved something extraordinary in the process.

As of last night, €500,000 in donations had been received by the Irish Cancer Society as a result of the #nomakeupselfie phenomenon that swept Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. An army of pale faced ladies and glamorous men set their qualms aside and joined the movement.

@IrishCancerSoc donations double in last 24 hours as a result of #Nomakeupselfies to €440K and counting! Thank You! pic.twitter.com/UtsRQXWMR0

— Irish Cancer Society (@IrishCancerSoc) March 21, 2014

Brendan Hayes from Bantry in West Cork was one such man. He got in touch with the Irish Examiner to share his daughter’s story and that of her carers - the people the campaign will help.

René Hayes was 11 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. What followed was two and a half years of treatment and a series of complications including contracting a fungal pneumonia and suffering a serious stroke.

René in hospital surrounded by a few fluffy friends

“In 2011 my daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. She was 11 at the time,” Brendan told the Irish Examiner.

“A two and a half year programme of treatment was to follow and René experienced some massive side effects. In February 2012 she developed a fungal pneumonia which saw her in hospital for almost two months. [In} May of that year René had a serious stroke which she has now made a full recovery from. Other side effects included pancreatitis, hair loss and other issues that would frighten the hell out of anyone,” he added.

Thank you so much for #nomakeupselfie, everyone! pic.twitter.com/05TNuiciUZ

— Irish Cancer Society (@IrishCancerSoc) March 22, 2014

With the help of staff at Crumlin Hospital in Dublin, the Mercy Hospital in Cork and despite on-going treatment, René “has never been better” as she approaches her 14th birthday.

A more recent picture of René in better health and enjoying life.

As a gesture of gratitude and support, Brendan got the warpaint out - lipstick, mascara, blusher, you name it - and posted his mugshot online.

“So over the last 48 hrs or so Facebook has been awash with naked faced ladies #nomakeupselfies. Now the lads have got in on the act with #makeupselfies. So I decided f**k it! I'll do one,” he wrote in his Facebook post before adding: “Please donate as much cash as you can to #kidsgetcancertoo. Lightitupgold.”

Brendan sporting his glamorous new look!

Light It Up Gold is a campaign run by the Childhood Cancer Foundation - an organisation supporting Ireland’s fight against childhood cancer, as their motto reads.

family #nomakeupselfie my daughter's living proof that #kidsgetcancertoo & beat it 💞 #lightitupgold pic.twitter.com/1TACRuXM6i

— Mairéad (@mtmcd22) March 20, 2014

René is still battling the disease and is dealing with gallbladder problems as a result of the chemotherapy she has undergone, but she and her family are positive looking to the future.

“Despite some gall bladder problems brought on by chaemo she has never been better. They plan to operate on the gall bladder in the next few weeks but it's nothing major compared to everything that has already happened,” said her dad.

In summation he added: “We would like to emphasise our extreme gratitude to everyone who supported us over the years in the West Cork community and the Mercy and Crumlin Hospitals.”

While René still has some of her journey to go, it's fantastic to see her smiling again and in better health once more.

If you would like to donate to the Irish Cancer Society text the word ‘Pink’ to 50300 or donate online here.

You can donate to the Childhood Cancer Foundation at this link.

* All photos reproduced with permission courtesy of Brendan Hayes