Kerry woman organises calf fundraiser after fiancé farmer dies of cancer

Erin Stack pictured with Katie the calf from Moyvane, Co Kerry; Erin is hosting a calf sale in memory of her fiancée, John McGrath RIP, who passed away from cancer in January. Picture: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD.

The fiancé of a farmer who died of cancer at the start of the year is holding a calf sale in his memory to raise funds for the palliative care unit which eased his final months.

Erin Stack was looking forward to a life together with her fiancé John McGrath when he was diagnosed with terminal Oesophageal Cancer in January 2020.

The 41-year-old passed away six weeks ago surrounded by his finance and his family.

She has been overwhelmed by the reaction of farmers all over the country to their Donate A Calf for cancer appeal to help raise funds for the Kerry Hospice Foundation Palliative Care Unit, where John got wonderful care.

“I was going to rear my own 10 calves,” she said. “I was going to start like that.

“Then I was talking to John’s brother Kieran and he said wouldn’t it be lovely to throw it out to farmers and see what the response would be like.

“The response has been amazing. John was a dairy farmer himself and was on the farm himself with his three brothers so it’s something very close to our hearts.

John was farming since he was a young fella. He was farming up until the day he diagnosed. He was diagnosed in December 2019 with the tumour and then we got the news it was terminal on January 16th.

She said it was particularly tough for her fiance to go through his final days during the pandemic.

"Covid was awful. You had the house in lockdown because you had to be so careful. John was a man who loved company and he was so loved by everyone and everyone wanted to see him," Ms Stack said. 

"That was hard but he would see people outdoors, out for a walk and stuff, Covid was hard."

She said the palliative care team made a huge difference in the last year of his life.

“He had a great year, but only for palliative care. It was amazing. We’re so lucky to have it on our doorstep.

"The nurses knew everything about him."

He went in on February 2020 and we thought this was the end once we heard palliative care.

“But it’s not. They got his symptoms under control. He went in six times and every time he came up out a different man.

“He was just pain-free. If there was ever anything wrong, you just ring. If things were bad, they'd straighten him out and he’d come home again. We’re raising money for that unit, the Kerry Hospice.

“We're blessed to have it. As John used to say, ‘it's great to have it but bad to want it'.” 

The fundraiser has already been offered around 100 calves for the event on March 24 in the Listowel Mart in Kerry.

Donate a Calf fundraiser for John McGrath is the GoFundMe page and the number to donate a calf is 087-1755324.