“Today, I was doing it for Dan.”
Aisling Donoher was the Player of the Match in Laois’ All-Ireland intermediate final victory over Wexford and, after three years away from the game, and after the battle she’s gone through with her son Dan, it was one emotional day for her and her family.
Donoher has been playing with the Laois ladies for years but this was the first time she’s won an All-Ireland and to have her son Dan and her daughter Sophie watching, it was special stuff for the Donoher family. Her mother was also in the crowd and it was a lovely moment when Aisling gave her the trophy she had won as player of the match on the day.
“My biggest supporter,” Aisling said afterwards.
Aisling put in a brilliant display for Laois and afterwards, in an emotional interview with Jerome Quinn, the full back put it all into words in a powerful interview.
“My little girl is 11 months old.
“Dan was over in the Cusack with my husband Niall, and I just couldn’t wait to wrap my two arms around him.
They did it for Dan 💙 pic.twitter.com/DwTwu1W3dj
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) July 31, 2022
“So much emotion. I suppose when I came back in November, I had kids, Covid and stuff, three years out – I thought to myself, ‘am I absolutely crazy going back in here?’
“But I just thought to myself, no I’ll go for it. The group of girls are just a really special group. We all had each other’s backs from day one. I’m just so happy that it went our way today. On a personal level, they were so supportive of me the whole way through.
“Yesterday, I was at Dan’s Little big Heroes’ graduation, I was there with six other very six kids. The girls came along, they were all there watching them graduate. This is just a game of football but it’s amazing. You have to enjoy it, and make friends, and if you win great, but if not, you make the best of friends.”
What an amazing, inspirational interview from Aisling Donoherpic.twitter.com/Lb129eGb94
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) July 31, 2022
The Do it for Dan campaign was massive fundraising drive that saw over €3.3 million raised in 2020 March for the young boy, who is battling a rare disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
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