The Lions and the entire rugby community in New York and New Jersey have rallied behind former club president 42-year Kieran Holohan, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in December.
The organization Be the Match was on hand at the Cornerstone Tavern to take cheek swabs to see if a genetic match could be found for Holohan in the event of his needing a transplant. The Brooklynite's friends aimed to register hundreds in the January drive. "Think of the number of people that can help," Holohan told the Echo beforehand.
"It was a great success with hundreds of donors registered and tens of thousands of dollars raised," reported current president Bret Cosain. "We plan on doing a similar event at our Four Leaf Fifteens Tournament on March 27 with over 2,000 attendees expected."
"The crew we assembled for the function was great and the Lions really put on a good show and support for Kieran," said his friend and fellow club member Adrian McDermott. "There was a good response from the Irish community, too."
Holohan, who was raised in Long Island by immigrant parents from Sligo and Donegal, became a father to Riley Mairead on Easter Sunday, April 12, last year. He is taking time off his law practice while undergoing treatment at Weill-Cornell Medical Center.
"He is a fighter and I have a good feeling about his prospects," McDermott said.
The website for the tournament is www.villagelions.org/tournament.
