FAMILY TIES Emma Langan, who played with the Mayo Under-14s, is pictured with her father Seamus.
Mike Finnerty
IT’S only a month since Emma Langan’s story was told to the wider world but the response from the public already has been nothing short of extraordinary.
The 14 year-old from outside Killala was diagnosed with leukaemia in October and, within days, a close friend of the Langan family, Denise Carroll, had started to rally around to try and raise some funds that would help towards the cost of Emma’s treatment plan.
An initial target of €10,000 was set, but already just over €102,000 has been raised in just four weeks. So many people have been touched by Emma’s story and have pledged donations. So many people just want to help.
This coming Friday evening (December 2) the Mayo ladies senior footballers will do their bit for Emma’s cause when they play All-Ireland champions, Meath, in the Connacht GAA Dome in Bekan at 7.30pm.
There will be no cover charge or admission price, and no tickets required to attend, but anyone who turns up will have the opportunity to contribute to a bucket collection on the evening for the #Play4Emma fund.
They will also get the chance to see some of the best footballers in the country.
Emma, who is a 3rd year student in Gortnor Abbey, Crossmolina, played with the Mayo Under-14s last season so it’s no surprise to see Mayo LGFA rallying to her cause.
Mayo senior manager, Michael Moyles, has also been a major driving force behind this Friday’s fundraising match and hopes are high that a good crowd will turn out to show their support for Emma.
“This is all going to help with medical expenses, travel costs, food, and any other expenses that are involved throughout Emma’s treatment plan,” Denise Carroll said recently.
“Everyone is pulling together and trying to raise as much money as possible. Every cent is needed and every cent is so greatly appreciated, by the community and Langan family. Everybody wants to do what we can and that’s all we can do for now.
“Fundraise, fundraise, and fundraise.”
This is the second time in a short number of years the Langan family have been affected by illness, as Emma’s mum, Yvonne, passed away in July 2019.
So it’s been heartwarming to see how the local community and people from all around the globe have reached out to support Emma, her father, Seamus, and her sisters Ciara, Niamh, Siobhán and Orla in their hour of need.
Emma’s sister, Ciara, said in an interview last month that she’d ‘never seen anyone so brave and positive than the way I’ve seen Emma being in the last week’.
Hopefully Emma and her family will get some joy from this week’s fundraising match in Bekan. If you can’t make it on the night, there are more details on how to contribute to the cause at: www.gofundme.com/f/play4emma
