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Twelve-year-old Billy Lord has been nominated for the Irish Red Cross Young Humanitarian of the Year award.
Published:
Sun 4 May 2025, 2:00 PM
A Cavan boy is one of four finalists for this year’s Irish Red Cross Young Humanitarian of the Year award.
Billy Lord cycled 126km from the Beacon Hospital in Dublin to Cuan Cancer Centre in Cavan last August alongside dad John, raising a massive €35,578 for Cuan.
The route symbolises the support shown to the Lord family since mum Stephaine’s breast cancer diagnosis in December 2023.
Speaking to the Celt on making the finals, Billy said he felt “very good.”
“It means that I, out of two hundred other people, am one of the four finalists for the young humanitarian award.”
Over eight months on, the cycle was nearly out of Billy’s mind when a parcel arrived to their Crossdoney home. Upon opening the lid, a balloon popped out and floated around the room. Also in the box was a letter detailing that he was one of four finalists selected for the award and an invitation to the ceremony.
“It’s closer than a year ago to the actual cycle so it came to me as an actual really big shock because I thought it was over. Then I got a balloon in the post and a letter.”
He remembers “parts” of the cycle, but certainly remembers the supporters who were there when he returned home.
“It was definitely very overwhelming, there was a lot of people and I’m not a people person,” he added.
At the time, 12-year-old Billy wasn’t aware that there were crowds of people, including his teammates from Cornafean Football Club, waiting to greet him at Cuan Cancer Centre.
His efforts saw him win the young volunteer award at the Cavan Volunteer Centre awards ceremony last year.
His mum Stephanie said the nomination is “very exciting.”
“We’re going national now, we’re going to Dublin,” she enthused.
She found it “unreal” when the balloon came in the post.
“It was just unreal to think that he’s been nominated as a humanitarian for his fundraising work.
“It’s great recognition because it was a tough cycle.”
The mum of four finished her chemotherapy and radiation treatment last October and still goes to Cuan. Now “totally out the other side” of her journey, she has experienced first-hand the importance of such fundraising for the centre. “It’s almost like a home from home really when you have support in there and like-minded people,” she described, adding that she goes to art classes every fortnight.
“There’s a really lovely group of ladies that go and we’ve become really close. It’s an outlet as well as being a support group, it’s not labelled as a support group but I know I get a tremendous amount of support from going.
“Everyone in Cuan, we’re all in the same boat and all at different stages of our journey. I know when I started on my journey, to see someone who’s further on and nearly out the other side, it gives you hope.
“It makes such a difference the likes of Cuan to be able to give people like me and like us supports and therapies and treatments.
“The money goes a long way to help other people out.”
Stephanie says she is a “totally different person” to who she was before getting cancer.
“I’ve become a lot better at saying ‘no’ to things that I don’t think will serve me.
“I’m doing lots of things that I wouldn’t have done before, and I just think why not, go for it.”
The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 8, which is International Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. RTÉ broadcaster Sarah McInerney will be Master of Ceremonies on the night.
Published:
Sun 4 May 2025, 2:00 PM
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