“After learning so much more about what the Irish Cancer Society does, this year, I wanted to do something even more challenging to see could we raise even more money.”
For the last two years, Rob Young, aged 25 from Dublin, has taken on the Freezbrury and ‘Ultra Freeze’ challenges to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society. “Like nearly every family in Ireland, my own has been affected by cancer.”
When he was 17 years of age, Rob’s mum Liz sat him down to tell him she had breast cancer. “It was August 2016 and I remember my mum and dad sat us down. It’s so strange the details you remember. We were eating a Chinese and I just remember there was this kind of nervous tension in the room. Then she just came out and told us she had breast cancer. Going through her treatment, mum would try to wear her wig around the house because I think she was afraid of upsetting me. I just said to her you don’t need to do that around me or for my benefit. We’re in this together and we’re going to get through it.”
By the following January in 2017, Liz’s treatment was coming to an end. Then Rob’s dad, George, shared some more bad news. “It was February and dad sits me down and says he has oesophageal cancer. It was devastating to hear that. You know, I think most teenagers look at their dad as this tower of strength and he was that for me until the very end.
But in that moment, he’s telling you this awful news and we both broke down. I think it’s the first time we ever cried like that together. It was incredibly difficult. I was in my Leaving Cert year, my sister was making her way through college and my older brother was off working getting his career going. After mum’s news, this comes along and hits us like a bombshell.”
His dad’s cancer journey was really tough. “The room in the house where I study was right beside the bathroom and I’d hear him getting sick after his chemo. You feel helpless..."
For Rob and his family, his dad’s cancer journey was really tough. “The room in the house where I study was right beside the bathroom and I’d hear him getting sick after his chemo. You feel helpless because this person who you love is going through an awful time and there’s nothing you can do to help. It was summer 2018 when we lost him. Looking back, you think of all the families who have lost loved ones to cancer. And you take hope from the fact that thankfully, more and more people are surviving these days and we have to keep working towards a day when nobody dies from cancer.”
“In November 2023, mum’s breast cancer was back and by then I was working in EY. They were very understanding and supportive when I needed to take some time to be there and support mum. She needed chemo, surgery and radiotherapy. It was after mum’s second diagnosis that I decided to give the Freezbrury challenge a go.”
“As a teenager, I mentioned that helplessness I felt with dad but this time, I felt like I could do something. I wanted to do something to help and had been aware of the Freezbrury challenge from friends taking part and I decided this time I wanted to get involved to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society. You start out on the 1st of February and you do a minute in the sea. You build that up day by day, so two minutes on the 2nd of February, three minutes on the 3rd and then 28 or 29 minutes by the end of the month, leap year depending.”
After his fundraising effort in 2024, Rob decided he wanted to go one step further in 2025. “In 2024, I was able to raise an incredible amount of money to support the Irish Cancer Society. In the end, we raised over €22,000 and it’s incredible to think that goes directly towards providing free supports and services for patients and their families and investment in cancer research. In 2024, I was fortunate enough to attend the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day lunch and at the event, I just became overwhelmed by the amount of work they do and the people they help. There’s so much more to this organisation than you think from the outside. Free lifts to and from treatment for patients, free Night Nursing care so that people dying from cancer can spend their final nights at home, free counselling, not just for the patient but for their family and friends too, creative arts therapy for children and their siblings affected by cancer and so much more. That’s without all their investment in cancer research.”
"That, to me, is what Daffodil Day is all about – people across communities all over Ireland turning their part of the country yellow"
“After learning so much more about what the Irish Cancer Society does, this year, I wanted to do something even more challenging to see could we raise even more money. So I came up with the idea of ‘Ultra Freeze’ – which is basically a combination of time in the sea and distance running. I began on the 1st of February this year with a 28km run, and a minute in the water, and then I gradually reduced the running distance and increased the time in the water so by the end of the month, I’ll do a kilometre run and 28 minutes in the water. It’s a bit intense alight and I had to do a good bit of training to get myself ready. In the first week of February alone, I ran a total of 175km and by the end of February, it was 406km in total.”
“It’s been amazing to do these two challenges the last few years. So many people have come out and taken part with me. My friends, my family, work colleagues and so on – it’s just been incredible to see so many people coming together for such a great cause. That, to me, is what Daffodil Day is all about – people across communities all over Ireland turning their part of the country yellow to raise as much money as possible so that anybody going through or affected by cancer has the support they need. I love being involved and playing my part in raising funds and I’d encourage anybody who is in a position to get involved to jump at the opportunity.”
Want to get involved in Daffodil Day this year? Join us on March 28, and go all in against cancer! Click the button below to find out all the ways you can take part in Daffodil Day this year!
