The sisters of an Armagh teenager who passed away last year after a brave battle with cancer are to climb Croagh Patrick in her memory.
And Olivia and Grace McKeown will use the occasion to raise money for a cause close to their hearts, Solving Kids Cancer UK.
Katie Rose McKeown, daughter of Una and Kevin and the youngest of three girls, passed away on January 9, 2025, aged just 14.
She had bravely battled Neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, since the age of seven – half of her young life – before her tragic and untimely loss.
Now her sisters want to raise money in her memory, a special legacy, while helping others too.
As sister Olivia told Armagh I : “We hope to raise awareness of childhood cancer while helping ensure that other families don’t have to experience the heartbreak and loss that ours has.”
She added: “We are taking on this challenge in the hope of raising funds for Solving Kids Cancer UK, so that we can help create a world where no family should have to experience this heartbreak and that no sibling has to experience the raw void we face each day. Any support would mean the world to us.”
Olivia and her older sister Grace have set their sights on climbing Croagh Patrick in September and have just launched a GoFundMe page in the hope that people will support them in their quest.
The family, who live just outside Armagh, had their world turned upside down in March 2018 when Katie Rose was diagnosed.
Nothing in their lives, according to Olivia, was ever the same again.
From a very early age, Katie Rose made their “house feel like a home”, a child who “was so funny and full of life, you would often hear her before you see her”.
Said Olivia: “Katie Rose’s daily battle with cancer for seven years brought about unimaginable challenges, but behind the disease Katie Rose was just a normal 14 year old girl, who loved shopping and a lot of fake tan! She loved going shopping to Rushmere and Victoria Square with mummy and daddy after her hospital visits.
“She loved getting new clothes and the trending skincare, which she was easily influenced into buying by watching TikToks.
“When she went shopping she never forgot about me; she was always so thoughtful and kind, she would often say to mummy: ‘What will we get Olivia?’
“Her loyalty was not only evident with her family, but also in her friendships and her love of animals. Her best friends were her dogs Marley and Snowy, who were her beacons of light and safety blankets in the darkness.
“Growing up in the countryside, she blended into the lifestyle, her love for spins in the lorry with daddy and attending the annual Dungannon Truck Run. She loved horse riding and eagerly tried to persuade me to join her. I recall her rhyming off all the horse riding equipment names soon after she had joined. When Katie Rose set her mind to anything, she became really passionate about it.”
Olivia was only nine when Katie Rose was diagnosed, big sister Grace just 15 and preparing for her GCSEs.
“From a sister’s perspective, being told my sister was ill at nine years old was something I will never forget,” said Olivia.
“As an older sister, I grew up protecting Katie Rose, and then suddenly I felt completely helpless. Nothing anyone would do could change what we were facing.
“At that age, you never imagine a world where your sister might not be with us in the future.
“She was my best friend from such a young age as there was only two years between us. We would spend hours outside on the trampoline, laughing and pretending we were YouTube vloggers, never thinking life could ever change.
“Throughout her seven-year journey with Neuroblastoma, Katie Rose remained strong and never let cancer define who she was. She was truly one of a kind.
“If someone were to ask me to describe Katie Rose, I would say she was inspirational as she continued to find joy in her everyday life despite her illness, whether it was making bracelets, playing Fortnite with me, or going up the town with her friends.
“Katie Rose gave us so much during her life. In her honour, we want to give back, by raising funds for Solving Kids Cancer UK in the hope that more children have the chance to grow up and make precious memories with their families.”
Olivia and Grace are now preparing for their trek up Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, due to take place on Saturday, September 19.
And the choice of location is symbolic to them both.
“To us, Croagh Patrick represents the mountain Katie Rose climbed every single day throughout her seven-year battle, a journey of strength, courage, and resilience that we will always admire,” added Olivia.
“We would love for anyone who knew Katie Rose or supported our family to join us on the climb.”
Raising money from the climb will help the work of Solving Kids Cancer UK, which aims to fund treatments and carry out clinical trials with the “vision of a future where no child dies of Neuroblastoma”.
Said Olivia: “This cruel disease has stolen the life of Katie Rose, who was not just a statistic but a sister, a daughter, a grandchild, a friend, a niece and a cousin.
“We are all guilty in some way of taking life for granted. You don’t appreciate the little things until they are taken from you. We would never have anticipated this to happen our family. We would do anything now to experience a silly argument over who’s sitting in the front seat or to hear Katie Rose’s laughter which filled our hallways.
“We can’t bring back those moments, but we can make sure we are part of the reason families don’t have to experience this.
“In the UK, every two weeks families have to experience child loss due to the childhood cancer Neuroblastoma. We feel strongly about preventing this, as today Katie Rose should still be with us.
“By donating and supporting Solving Kids Cancer, you can help facilitate future clinical trials which aim to develop safer, more targeted and less toxic treatments for Neuroblastoma, which is a rare childhood cancer with a 50% survival rate for children diagnosed with high risk Neuroblastoma.
“Every donation is more than a contribution to us; it is a way of honouring Katie Rose’s life, keeping her name alive, and helping ensure that other families do not have to live through this same reality.”
If you would like to donate or get in touch, you can do so here.
