TODAY IS DAFFODIL Day.

Today an army of fundraisers will be donning daffodils, shaking buckets, hosting coffee mornings and raising money so that the Irish Cancer Society can continue to provide the vital services we offer cancer patients and survivors. Today we need your support.

Why? Because one in two of us will receive a diagnosis in our lifetime. This year alone, an estimated 44,000 people in Ireland will hear the words “you’ve got cancer”. When they hear these words, the Irish Cancer Society is there for them. But only thanks to the generous donations from the public on Daffodil Day.

Last year, thanks to public support, we were able to provide almost 30,000 free lifts to and from treatment. Each one of these journeys meant someone didn’t have to worry about how they would get to hospital and get home again. It meant fewer missed appointments, less stress and one less thing to carry at a difficult time.

We also had over 26,000 conversations through our Support Line and Daffodil Centres. These aren’t casual chats. They are often the first place someone turns after a diagnosis, or when they are overwhelmed, or when they simply need someone to listen.

We provided over 14,000 counselling sessions. Cancer does not just affect the body. It affects mental health, relationships, work and daily life. Having access to professional support can make a real difference in how people cope.

And for those at the most difficult stage, we provided close to 6,000 nights of Night Nursing care. That means a trained nurse sitting with a patient at the end of life, allowing families to rest, to be present or simply to have some support through an incredibly hard time.

But that’s not all we do.

The Irish Cancer Society advocates for patients and their families. Last year, our Leave our Leave campaign resulted in the law changing to allow women to defer maternity leave in cases of serious illness. And just this week, following a four-year campaign, the government unveiled legislative amendments that will ensure cancer survivors have access to mortgage protection insurance. Now, when an oncologist says their patient is cancer free, their insurance provider will have to agree.

The Irish Cancer Society also funds vital research, investing in over 150 researchers across Ireland who are working on more than 75 projects. That work is about the future: better treatments, earlier detection, improved survival rates.

We also fund large research partnerships like lung health check, a groundbreaking €4.9m lung cancer programme, developed with Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre. This pilot programme is diagnosing people at an earlier, treatable stages. And which has already saved lives.

All of this is possible thanks to the generosity of the public. It takes over €30m each year to run the Irish Cancer Society. Only 5% of our funding comes from the state, which means the rest comes from communities.

When you donate, these are the things you’re funding: a lift to treatment for someone who has no other way to get there; a counselling session for someone struggling to cope; a night of respite that gives a family a moment to breathe; a conversation that helps someone make sense of what they are facing; research that will change lives in the future. Every euro raised translates into real support for real people.

And the need is not going away. If anything, it is growing. Cancer cases in 2045 are expected to be double the 2015 number. More diagnoses mean more demand for services, more drives, more counselling, more families needing help navigating a system that can feel complex and overwhelming. More important work for us to do.

The Irish Cancer Society can only do this important work with your support. So please donate online or by text DAFFODIL to 50300 to donate €4.

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