By Mark McCadden

Copyright irishmirror

Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley says this year’s Dublin Marathon will be “all that more special” as he plans to raise €100,000 for charity.

Bradley and his Hoops assistant manager Glenn Cronin have signed up for the 26-mile race.

Both have the experience of watching their children battle cancer – and have chosen Oscar’s Kids as the recipients of funds raised by their participation in this year’s run.

Oscar’s Kids is a paediatric cancer charity that works directly with children and their families to support them as they navigate a journey with cancer.

Bradley’s son Josh famously claimed victory last month after a three-year fight with cancer, and an Oscar’s Kids social media video of him ringing the bell at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, signalling the end of his treatment, quickly went viral.

He said: “Myself and my family got involved with Oscar’s Kids when Josh was diagnosed.

“When you get that news that it’s cancer, it really rocks you as a family and it changes your perspective on everything. It takes a bit of time as a family to come to grips with that.

“When you are in the heat of battle with the treatment, sometimes you get lost in it and Oscar’s Kids allow you as a family to escape for a night, for a weekend, whatever you can do, and just live as normal as possible.

“For those moments when you are away as a family, Josh doesn’t see the illness and the sickness, he is just able to enjoy himself with his brother and his sister, and with us as a family.

“Josh is a lucky kid that he got to ring the bell. There are lots of families and lots of kids that aren’t so lucky and don’t get that chance. For us to do that, we are extremely grateful.”

Oscar’s Kids can help families of young cancer sufferers through the gifting of tailored treats and experiences, along with emotional support and the building of a community of similar families, who support each other throughout their individual journeys.

As well as the charity, Bradley thanked the staff at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, and players, officials and fans at Shamrock Rovers for helping him through the worst of his son’s experiences.

“We are in sports, obviously, and people talk about legends and heroes, and they really don’t understand until you are in the hospital and see these people working,” he said.

“What they put into their job on a daily basis, in the likes of John’s Ward in Crumlin, you have to have something special about you to work in those places. They are incredible people.

“I don’t think I would have been able to function and do it without this club and the fans and the staff, the players, I don’t think I would have been able to show up every day and be present.“The support we have felt from them as a family has been incredible.”

His long-time assistant Cronin spoke of his own experience, saying: “My own daughter had cancer nine years ago.

“We were one of the lucky ones, that she didn’t need treatment afterwards. They moved so quickly that they got it out and she was blessed.

“When you are in it you need every bit of help and support that you can get, and these charities do amazing work.”

Cronin plans to help his boss through the upcoming marathon. Bradley first ran the famous race back in 2017.

According to Cronin: “We dig each other out. Some days you have good days and other days you need to be dragged along. It obviously really helps training with someone.”

Bradley added: “Both of us are running for something that has touched us. We are really motivated to run for Oscar’s Kids and make money to help other families and other kids.

“The training is going well. Glenn is naturally fit, he works hard, so he is getting me through it.

“When you know what you are doing it for, it makes it all that more special, and I’m sure it will be emotional for both of us, but it’s something that we are really looking forward to.”

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