Let’s Talk About Cancer North West tribute to late Tommie Gorman

The following tribute has been paid by Let’s Talk About Cancer North West following the passing of former RTÉ Northern Editor Tommie Gorman who was very well known to the people of Donegal, as well as being a close neighbour and native of Sligo. 

In his younger days, he also covered many stories from Donegal, as the North West Regional correspondent for RTÉ.

As a group they had the particular pleasure of working with Tommie on two very significant cancer events in 2023 including one in Ballyshannon last May:

Tommie Gorman was first diagnosed with cancer, neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) in January 1994.

Tommie recently stated that “the word cancer strikes fear in most of us. It is a challenge we would all like to avoid. But my experience of cancer has made me a glass half full person”.

At the time of his first diagnosis Tommie had to travel to Sweden for treatment and had to have his condition managed on a regular basis ever since. 

Along with medical consultants and other Irish patients he campaigned for many years for our own Irish version of the Swedish model. He was very pleased that in the final months of 2023 the St. Vincent’s Centre of Excellence for NETs care introduced its own PRRT (radioactive infusions) treatment service. 

What pleased him most was, that, although it will take time before the service becomes fully operational. Irish patients will be able to access what is usually life prolonging care in their own country.

Tommie presented his own personal account of living with cancer in a documentary ‘Ireland, Cancer and Me’ in 2021. 

It was an inspirational piece designed to help others with cancer. He retired from RTE in May 2021 following which he devoted a lot of his time supporting fellow cancer patients especially ourselves in the North West. 

His advice, support and encouragement were phenomenal as he met many of us personally or in groups sharing his own experience during his cancer journey. As many of you know who have been diagnosed with cancer the physical challenge involved is only matched by the mental torture you endure. 

This is where the help of others who have survived is invaluable and for someone to share their very personal feelings and anguish is just life changing and in some instance’s life saving. Tommie was just a star when it came to helping others. The empathy and understanding you felt coming from him was very comforting as the health and wellbeing of others seemed to be always uttermost in his thoughts.  Of course he excelled in his professional life but when he was with us we also felt that we had both a friend and a colleague in our midst.

ABOVE: The late Tommie Gorman with Paul McLoone and Majella O’Donnell at the Let’s Talk About Cancer event in Ballyshannon last year 

As a group we had the particular pleasure of working with Tommie on two very significant cancer events in 2023. 

One was held in Ballyshannon on May 13 and the second in Sligo on Nov 5. The first thing Tommie said when asked to M.C. both events was ‘it would be my pleasure and please, please don’t mention money as that is the last thing I would ask for when helping others’.  

The events were called ‘Lets Talk About Cancer’ with an array of speakers and performers who had encountered cancer themselves including Brian Kennedy, Majella O’Donnell, Evelyn O’Rourke, cancer choirs from Donegal and Sligo and many others too numerous to mention. 

Over 600 people attended both events, many of them going through a tough time because of a cancer diagnosis. Tommie took time to speak to many people both on the day and afterwards when he met them on a one to one basis. 

Never once did he worry about himself, he got great satisfaction in helping others and as always time and distance was not a problem with Tommie. 

That helping others is what Tommie meant by ‘a glass half full’ as he was always looking at the positives, turning his own cancer story into an inspiration and motivation for those going through a difficult time.

One of the organisers of our second event in Sligo was celebrity chef Joe Shannon. The craic Tommie and Joe had that day was brilliant with at one stage Tommie wondering aloud what Joe was on as he likened him to a human dynamo. 

It is sad beyond belief that we have lost both of them this year, Joe on the 4th March and now Tommie on 25th June.

Tommie recently wrote that ‘as always was likely to happen, the sleeping dogs awoke and began barking’ and just like Joe was hopeful that the disease could be brought back under control.

The sadness we feel in their passing is nothing compared to the heartbreak currently being encountered by the Shannon and Gorman families.  

Our heart goes out to them at this very difficult time. It beholds all of us to continue the good work of Tommie and Joe as the legacy they have left us will be an inspiration in our continuous efforts to confront and manage this dreadful disease.

On behalf of Let’s Talk About Cancer North West we want to thank you Tommie from the bottom of our hearts. God bless you and may you rest in peace.