THE Falls Park turned pink at the weekend in memory of a Coolnasilla woman who died  in 2019.

Eimear Gooderham (neé Smyth) was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma aged 22 in September 2016. After finding a stem cell donor match, she underwent a transplant in November 2018, but sadly died following complications aged 25. 

Eimear’s Father Seán Smyth founded the Eimear’s Wish Campaign to fulfil Eimear’s dying wish – for the world to know that she had beaten cancer; for her family to raise Stem Cell Donor Awareness; and to campaign for age-appropriate care for teenagers and youth adults who are diagnosed with life-threatening illness.

The ‘Donut for Donors’ event held on Saturday in the Falls Park was a fun-filled day bringing the whole community together and raising awareness about stem cell donation. Lord Mayor Tina Black opened the event on the day for Eimear’s Wish.

“Saturday was so positive,” Seán Smyth told the Andersonstown News. “It was unbelievable. The people who turned out, the families, the runners, the sun. Everything was absolutely perfect, you couldn’t have asked for a better day and people had fun.”

Members of the community participated in the 5k run with free donuts and refreshment to reward them afterwards. 

“Two things Eimear loved in this world was doughnuts and coffee,” Seán said. “We thought what can we do for Eimear – Donut for Donors.”

Saturday’s event saw the Donut for Donors event take place for the second year in a row with the aim of talking about giving blood and joining the stem cell register.