Tom, a 2025 Dickie Dipper and Mater Hospital Foundation team member is braving the cold November waters this year to raise funds for men’s cancer care in honour of his late father, Paddy.
“I’ve been lucky enough to see the last couple of Dickie Dips first hand, working as part of the team here at the Foundation. That sense of camaraderie, brotherhood and solidarity with those gents who’ve experienced cancer in their lives… you can really feel it throughout the morning, and it gives the event a special atmosphere.
“In December last year, we lost my Dad to a late-life cancer diagnosis. He’d come through a period where he’d been the main carer for my Mam, who had dementia. Losing her after 65 years spent together broke his heart, but he tried to rally after her passing. We were starting to see little glimmers of the old Paddy again.
“Then around early spring 2024, a bump appeared on the side of his temple and was growing quite fast. Now… even as we get older, we all have a little vanity about our looks. My Dad wanted it removed, so we had it checked out. Doctors confirmed the bump was a melanoma or skin cancer. Given my Dad was in his 80’s, they needed to do several tests before proceeding with the operation to remove it.
“Unfortunately, those tests showed something we could never have expected… there were numerous tumours throughout my Dad’s chest. His cancer was widespread and very advanced.
“Chatting with the doctors, it was clear that the best course of action for my Dad would be palliative care, to keep the last few months of his life as comfortable and pain free as possible.
“Paddy met his diagnosis the same way he met most things in life… not too much fuss, just something to be dealt with. He continued to regale us with stories from his life. He continued to dote on his grandchildren who made him immensely proud, and he continued to miss my Mam. When any of the neighbours asked how he was doing, his answer was always, ‘I’ve a touch of cancer, but sure, I’m grand’.
“We were blessed that it was only in the last 4 weeks of his life that he really started to decline. Even during that time, he insisted on getting dressed up in his shirt and tie to celebrate his 87th birthday, just in case he had visitors.
“It was during those last few weeks, as we sat chatting, that my nephew Eoghan mooted the idea of us doing the Dickie Dip in my Dad’s memory, and the more we talked about it, the more the idea took hold.
“What would my Dad think? Well, he’d definitely tell us we are mad fools to be charging into the sea at that time of year, but he’d be pleased as punch that his memory is helping others.
“As I’ve found out from so many since his passing, he was always one to offer to help. And now we can make sure he continues to do so after he’s left us, which seems a fitting legacy.
Tom, Co Dublin
Join Tom and hundreds of other men on the 8th of November for the Dickie Dip and support men’s cancer care in the Mater Hospital.