Four sisters are taking on a 24-hour fundraising challenge in memory of their mother whose “life was all about helping people”.
Monny McSorley, from Maghera, died suddenly on April 21, 2020, after suffering a heart attack just weeks before her 60th birthday.
Monny was known and loved throughout her local community for her charity volunteering and fundraising work, as well as working closely with children with special educational needs.
Now her four daughters – Ciara, Carla, Aileen and Erin – have organised a 24-hour walk at Watty Grahams GAC Glen Maghera to raise money for the British Heart Foundation NI’s life-saving heart research in her memory.
Monny’s daughters said the loss of their mum was a huge shock to the family and the wider community.
Her daughter Carla McGovern said: “Last year our lives were shattered when we lost our beloved mother to a heart attack.
Ciara, Aileen, Monny’s husband Eamon, Monny, Erin and Carla
“Mammy’s life was all about helping people, it was in her blood. She really did have a heart of gold. But unfortunately, it was her heart that gave up on her on 21 April last year. Mammy died just a few weeks before what would have been her 60th birthday.
“It was the biggest shock of our lives. She had very few symptoms other than indigestion. No one could have foreseen the tragedy that unfolded that evening. The panic, the trauma and the shock were unbearable and life without her even more so. But we remain strong, as we know that’s what she would have wanted and expected of us.”
A wife to Eamon and a grandmother of eight, her daughters hope the 24-hour walk will raise money for heart and circulatory disease research to prevent other families from suffering the same heartbreak as theirs.
“When you lose someone you love with all your heart, it can be hard to put one foot in front of the other,” said Carla.
Monny McSorley
“On Saturday 14 August we are doing a 24-hour walk at Watty Graham GAC Glen in memory of mammy. Each step we take will be in memory of an amazing woman with a heart of gold who is gone far too soon.
“Her life was defined by thousands of small acts of kindness. From fundraising for various charities to volunteering for over 30 years, alongside working in schools with children with educational needs.
“In doing our fundraiser we hope to raise awareness of heart disease particularly in women over the age of 50 and contribute to vital research so that we get to keep our loved ones around for longer.”
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Every two hours someone in Northern Ireland is admitted to hospital with a heart attack.
Coronary heart disease kills twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK every year and is one of the single biggest killers of women worldwide.
Head of BHF NI Fearghal McKinney thanked Monny’s family, friends and local community for their fundraising efforts.
He said: “We are incredibly grateful to Monny’s family for their incredible fundraising efforts in her memory. We couldn’t fund our life-saving heart and circulatory disease research without the support of families like Monny’s.
“When the BHF was formed seven out of 10 people died from a heart attack but thanks to the power of research now seven out of 10 people survive. But sadly, like Monny’s story shows, that is still too many people dying far too soon and leaving behind a devastated family. We urgently need to fund more research to save other families from this heartbreak.”
To donate to the fundraiser visit, https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/veronica-mcsorley.
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