Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
Research. Support. Education.
Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
26th October 2024 by Clare Cox
Ronan Mitchell is doing the Dublin Marathon on 27th October in memory of his friend, Bronagh, who had secondary breast cancer. He tells us what has led him to run for Make 2nds Count.
Can you tell me a little about yourself?
Hi, I am Ronan and I am 46 years old and married to Kathleen and have two amazing children aged 12 and 8. I was born and bred in Belfast and, through my work, I moved to England in 2001 where I have been putting down my own Irish roots and where I have a real love of life. I used to be a keen runner but found excuses not to run as much when children came along 
Can you tell me how you first got involved with Make 2nds Count?
Last year a very good friend of mine posted about the "31" and how 31 lives are lost everyday to metastatic, secondary breast cancer and how very little funding goes towards the research of secondary breast cancer. I wanted to know more and so was made aware of Makes 2nds Count. Sadly my friend passed away in October 2024, aged 37. Not only was she an amazing mum, wife and friend, she was a huge inspiration to everyone that knew her or came into contact with her.
Can you tell me more about why you chose to fundraise for us?
Very little cancer funding goes into the research of secondary breast cancer. And similarly, despite the huge amount of research that goes into primary cancer treatment, very little awareness comes from the main cancer charities regarding secondary breast cancer. It is amazing what Make 2nds Count do in terms of raising awareness and supporting patients and their families, and I would like to play a small part in the huge amount of work that the charity does.
Why is it important to you to have a charity dedicated to secondary breast cancer only?
Breast cancer has impacted a number of my family and friends - one of my wife's best friends was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and thankfully she is doing very well. My mother-in-law was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and continues to have treatment. Breast cancer has had a huge impact on my family and friends, but it was the secondary breast cancer journey of my friend, Bronagh, that had the most impact on me and which is why I want to dedicate my fundraising efforts to raising as much money and awareness in aid of secondary breast cancer and Make 2nds Count.
Thank you to Ronan and best of luck with the Marathon and your fundraising! If you would like to run for Make 2nds Count, we've partnered up with Run for Charity who have runs across the UK that you can sign up to: https://runforcharity.com/charity/make-2nds-count
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