Buncrana woman to spearhead charity drive in memory of her late brother

A Buncrana woman is spearheading a walking and skydiving charity challenge in memory of her brother, who died from a brain tumour last year.

John McDaid, from Loch View, Buncrana, was just 31 years old when he tragically passed away in Liverpool last March, his death coming less than two months after his initial diagnosis.

It has been an awful time for the family ever since - but now Michelle McDaid wants to raise some funds to give something back to those who cared for big brother John.

“I decided to do this fundraiser in memory of John as his first anniversary is approaching and I thought it would be nice to do something in honour of him.”

The McDaid family - from left, John, Michelle, Tina, James and Henry

Michelle will be walking five kilometres along with her mum Tina and brother James every day for fifty days. They began on January 29 and will continue until March 19.

The significance of those dates is that John was diagnosed with a tumour on January 29 last year, while March 19 is the first anniversary of his heart-breaking death. After completing more than 250kms on the ground, the challenge in memory of John will then take to the skies, with a charity parachute jump.

All proceeds raised will be donated to Liverpool University Hospital, which is the hospital where John was so well cared for.

“The staff at the hospital were fantastic at looking after John and also with making sure we knew what was happening each day, supporting and comforting us,” explains Michelle.

“They were there for us through this difficult time, and we want to fundraise this money in honour of John as a thank you to them.”

Michelle says the past year has been the “hardest year for us as a family”.

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“The time between John’s diagnosis and his death was only fifty days. It was such a short period of time in which everything was happening and changing so fast; I feel it made it harder for us to process what was going on,” she says.

Certain times have been tougher than others, not least the date John should have been married last summer.

“The past year has been challenging in so many ways for all of us. It's been especially hard on certain dates which should have been happy ones. The 23rd of August 2024 was the date John was set to marry his true love, Navi,” Michelle reveals.

“It was particularly hard on that date and others such as John’s birthday or Christmas to not wonder what life should have looked like had John been here with us. It’s also missing the little everyday things which have made the past year hard, like not being able to pick up the phone to John’s loud voice while he talked about whatever he was planning next.”

When asked what kind of a person her brother was, Michelle says “no amount of words could do him justice”.
“He had a large personality; those who knew him would agree. John was truly one of a kind, he was a gentleman, mannerly but always up for the craic. He had a quick, dry sense of humour, always coming out with one-liners. John had a love for music, he could play guitar and was great at telling stories.”

Michelle recalls how John had been the “best big brother to me growing up”. “There is over 10 years between me and John but that never got in the way of how close we were, except maybe when he was a teenager and thought he was too cool for me!”
“John always had a love for travelling, he left for Australia by himself at just 20 and spent an amazing few years there. He visited countless countries and was always making plans of where he was going next.”

John was a huge Liverpool FC fan, as Michelle further explains. “It’s hard to describe John as a person without mentioning his love for Liverpool Football Club," she adds. "John was a lifelong supporter along with my Dad and James, and his cousins and uncles. He spent the past few years living in Liverpool with Navi and did his best to always fit in a match every few weeks.”

“During the seven short weeks from John’s diagnosis to his death, he attended three matches and had bought tickets for more.”

She says her brother stayed positive right up to the end: “He never complained, he got on with it and did his best, he was brave and stayed positive. I’ll always remember John as someone who lived life to the fullest, his advice to me was: ‘Don’t listen to what anybody else has to say, do whatever makes you happy’.”
“Looking back on his life now, I’m glad he did just that, he was right.”

The McDaid family has been overwhelmed by the level of support for their fundraiser so far.
“When I set up the fundraiser, I initially set the target goal at €1,000. The main reason I decided to do the walk and skydive was to do something in John’s memory and I thought maybe we could raise a small amount alongside this to donate in his name to the hospital that cared for him,” Michelle explains.

“The evening I posted the fundraiser, within a few hours we were well past the €1,000 target, with the donations now sitting at almost €4,000. The generosity of those who have supported the fundraiser is truly greatly appreciated, from family, friends, people of the town and people far away who knew John throughout his life. It is a testament to the type of person John was and just how loved he was.”

Michelle says they’ve been enjoying the walking too.
“We’re so lucky to have so many scenic areas close by us. There have been one or two days of bad weather, but we’ve powered on. I’ve had my two friends, Ellie and Analiese, join me each day and the company definitely makes it easier. My brother James lives in Derry, so he has been doing most of his walking up there and my Mum likes to do her walks around Swan’s Park.”

As for jumping out of an aeroplane at the end of it all?  “Skydiving is something I’ve always wanted to do so I’m actually very excited for it,” Michelle smiles.

“I think the nerves might kick in once I’m up there looking 15,000 feet down, but I’ll worry about that then! I’m still trying to convince James, my Mum [Tina] or my Dad [Henry] to do it as well but I don’t think I’ll have much luck with that,” she laughs.

To support this great cause, please visit GoFundMe ‘Fundraising in memory of John McDaid’. All donations welcome.