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McGrath returns for Tipp just four months after an operation for testicular cancer. James Crombie/INPHO
Charity Work

Noel McGrath named Tipperary Person of the Year for cancer work

The 25-year-old was diagnosed with cancer himself last year.

A YEAR AFTER he was diagnosed with cancer, hurling star Noel McGrath has been named the Tipperary Person of the Year for his work in raising awareness of the disease, particularly among younger men.

McGrath underwent surgery for testicular cancer in April 2015 and though he was expected to miss the season, he came on as a substitute to a rousing reception from Tipp fans in their All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway the following August.

Speaking at the announcement of the award, the president of the Tipperary Association Dublin, Liam Myles, said the dignified way the 25-year-old had handled his adversity — as well as the “courageous way he publicly acknowledged his illness” — had played a role in their decision to hand him the award.

However, it was the fact “he highlighted testicular cancer and the need for males — young and old — to be monitored and checked” that set him apart from the other nominees.

Though the Loughmore-Castleiney clubman initially asked for privacy in the early stages of his illness, he went on to publicly back the Movember Foundation as well as the Childhood Cancer Foundation.

A press release from the Gaelic Players Association today said it was “in these roles, and in a number of public appearances, he has made a huge contribution to help break the ‘taboo’ that has traditionally existed around male cancer and testicular cancer in particular.”

McGrath will be presented with is award at a ceremony on Saturday, 5 March in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin.

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