The family of a little boy who died of a rare cancer have described as “spectacular” a charity tractor run held in his memory at the weekend.
Fionn’s Parade of Lights saw 200 farm vehicles bedecked with festive lighting take to the roads visiting Lusk, Rusk, Skerries and Balbriggan to raise funds for three charities which helped him during his illness.
Little Fionn was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at three years and eight months and died at the age of five on January 9, 2019.
The parade was organised with the help of Michael Hoey, of Country Crest, and has already raised more than €8,000 for Aoife’s Clown Doctors, Blood Bikes Dublin and Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice.
After the event, his family and friends posted on Facebook: “Spectacular, magical, magnificent are only a few words to describe the amazing evening we experienced at Fionn’s Parade of Lights.
“As the sun set beautifully just before we set off, there was an incredible atmosphere in the air, and everyone had little Fionn in their thoughts.
“Yesterday [Sunday] demonstrated the impact that Little Fionn had on so many. It was Fionn’s favourite things that made this incredible event happen. His love for Christmas, lights and tractors combined to create this amazing scene.
“Fionn’s story touched so many hearts. Fionn did a lot in his short little life, and we are pretty sure last night’s parade did him proud.”
Speaking about their “gentle” and “mischievous” little boy who loved the outdoors and farm machinery, his parents revealed that he underwent almost two years of “horrific” treatment as a hospital in-patient.
They wrote: “Fionn never once complained. He was always a beautiful and kind little boy who had an understanding of humanity and the world way beyond his tender years.
“Fionn always spoke of “a doo” and it was only last Christmas that he told us that ‘a doo is a person who makes other people lovely’.
“We got to tell him before he died that he was the ‘ultimate doo’.
“Fionn died in our arms on the ninth of January, 2019. We are heartbroken and miss him so much.”
A GoFundMe page (Fionn’s Parade of Lights) remains open for the next few days to help support the three chosen charities.
