Irish prop to lift ten tonnes 5 days before his last chemo session
A University College Dublin prop and cancer patient is set to lift ten tonnes as part of a charity event that aims to raise awareness about lymphoma and raise money for the Irish Cancer Society and St. Vincent’s Foundation.
UCD tighthead Emmet Burns was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma this summer, a cancer that affects the white blood cells and, in Ireland, is one of the most common cancers among young people. The diagnosis was a cruel blow for Burns, an aspiring professional who was seeking out a contract in England, a plan that has had to be put to the side for now.
“Back in May I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer originating in white blood cells. At this time, I had just got an agent, and was trying my best to get a pro or semi-pro rugby contract in England.”
The first symptoms of lymphoma can include persistent fatigue, painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin; and fever. Another symptom is very itchy skin, which Emmet began experiencing back in January 2021.
“It was a huge shock and I really needed some kind of inspiring story to get me through it.”
“After some frantic Googling, I found an interview with a Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor Joe Batley, who plays for Worcester Warriors, on RugbyPass. I reached out to him on Instagram and he was nice enough to have a call with me, which was really helpful and encouraging. We have been in touch ever since.”
While at @BristolBears a teammate spotted a lump in 21-year-old @banterwithbats neck.
It was cancer.
He tells @JLyall93 ???how the fight to save his life and then his rugby career made him a better person https://t.co/4bcWYEY5Ka
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 17, 2020
“Since my diagnosis, I have been getting chemotherapy every second Friday – which has, to be frank, been a very tough ordeal. But through it all, I have been going to the gym whenever I could, which I think has really helped be through this. ”
On the 25th of October Emmet will be undertaking what he has dubbed “Emmet’s Ten Tonne Challenge”, despite still being in the midst of his battle with the disease.
“The event will be five days before my last chemo session and be in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and the Haematology Department at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin – where I have been receiving treatment for the last six months.
“The idea is pretty simple, I will lift 10 tonnes during the workout by doing 50 squats, 25 deadlifts and 25 bench press – all at 100kg.
“During this journey, I was surprised to hear that Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is one of the most common types of cancer for young people aged between 15 and 34, with about 150 people diagnosed each year in Ireland. I was also relieved to hear that it is treatable and curable – but I now realise many people my age are not informed about lymphoma.
Emmet Burns has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a treatable and curable blood cancer, for the past 6 months. He is doing a fundraiser on the 25th October! https://t.co/BjMuyPZvDH #EmmetsTenTonneChallenge
— Cian Healy (@ProperChurch) October 10, 2021
“In doing this challenge, I hope to increase awareness of Lymphoma among young people in Ireland ,via an Instagram page I have set up at https://www.instagram.com/
If you wish to donate to his the cause, and we urge you to do so, please visit www.idonate.ie/
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments