VETERAN journalist Tommie Gorman has pledged to “bring hope” to the RTE audience in his latest documentary about his decades of cancer.
The prominent former editor-in-chief of RTE North and Europe, who conveyed his positive message in the 2021 documentary Ireland, Cancer and Me, died on Tuesday surrounded by his family circle at the age of just 68.
The Sligo Rovers football enthusiast, mourning his wife Ceara Roche and two children Moya and Joe, spent 40 years at the forefront of the news and retired in April 2021, but continued to write columns until his death.
In announcing his passing, his devastated circle of relatives said, “Tommie, a beloved husband, father, brother and friend whose innate kindness and generosity of spirit touched the lives of all who knew him. “
“His memory will remain in our hearts and his spirit will continue to encourage and motivate us every day. “
A review adds, “He will be greatly missed and remembered with love through his wife, daughter, son, sister Mary, brother Michael, extended family, former colleagues, neighbors, and many friends. “
Tommie will be buried at Seán Feehily Funeral Home, Cartron Cross, Sligo, on Friday 28 June from 7pm.
The funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Sligo, Tommie’s hometown, on Saturday, June 29 at 2 p. m.
The burial in Kilmacowen cemetery will be the afternoon mass.
The family asked that any memories or stories about Tommie be sent to an email sent by their children to tommiegormanstories@gmail. com.
Gorman was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, neuroendocrine tumours, when he was just 37 years old and a European correspondent for RTE.
He brazenly spoke to the public about his fight against this rare and slow-growing disease, using his platform as a journalist to advocate for access to at-home treatments.
The brave journalist’s latest broadcast is the documentary Ireland, Cancer and Me.
It aired a month after its retirement, on May 4, 2021.
On the show, Tommie shared his very private fight with cancer after his diagnosis in 1994, while serving as RTE’s European correspondent in Brussels.
While stationed in the European capital, he began to feel ill and was rushed to hospital with a suspected ruptured appendix that was later diagnosed as cancer.
Tommie diagnosed him with neuroendocrine tumors when he discovered he had a number one tumor in his small intestine, a secondary site, and several tumors in his liver.
According to the Irish Cancer Society, neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are slow-growing cancers that affect neuroendocrine cells, the nerve cells that produce hormones in the body.
NETs can refer to many other tumors, including carcinoid tumors, gastrointestinal NETs, pancreatic NETs, and pulmonary NETs.
NETs are a rare form of cancer, and most NETs are found in the digestive system.
However, tumors located in other places such as the lungs, pancreas, kidneys, ovaries, and testicles are “much rarer. “
Two other notable people affected by NET are Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, both of whom also fought long battles with the disease.
From the early days of his cancer diagnosis, Tommie discovered that under European law, he was entitled to receive a remedy in some other EU state if that remedy was cost-effective and useful.
Gorman became the first Irish citizen to access a resource at a Swedish centre of excellence in 1998, benefiting from an EU directive that allows him to obtain this care.
This led him to create a documentary for RTE at the time called Europe, Cancer and Me, which showed his cancer treatment and the healthcare available to the Irish under EU law.
The documentary has allowed many Irish patients to follow in his footsteps in Sweden and other EU countries to receive far-reaching, life-saving treatment.
Tommie lived with neuroendocrine tumors until his death.
I think (working) is a glorious distraction. I think it gave me purpose, a sense of dignity, and a reason. “
In Tommie’s last documentary, he mentioned the replacement in the treatment that will be provided to those who shared the disease.
In his later years he no longer had to travel to Sweden for treatment.
In the early 2010s, Gorman decided to accept the facility in Ireland and continued to do so until his passing.
Ireland, Cancer and I how St Vincent’s Hospital Dublin has created a centre of excellence for patients with neuroendocrine tumours. The centre has links with others in Cork and Galway.
Tommie said in the documentary: “Patient by patient, step by step, we are building an Irish edition of the Swedish model. It boosts morale to see how the service has advanced in years. “
The symptoms of NEUROENDOCRINE TUMORS (NETS) may resemble other situations and do not cause any symptoms at an early stage.
According to the Irish Cancer Society, the symptoms of NETs probably won’t be aggravated for long.
Some NETs can be difficult to locate until they spread to parts of the body, including the liver or bones.
SYMPTOMS OF TUMORS OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM (GASTROINTESTINAL NETWORK):
CARCINOID SYNDROME: An organization of symptoms through NET that release gigantic amounts of hormone-like ingredients, such as serotonin, into the bloodstream.
This maximum occurs when the NETs from the small bowl spread to the liver.
Symptoms of carcinoid syndrome include:
Eight years ago, patients with NETS disease and their families formed their own group.
The documentary included interviews with other people living with this chronic disease and with some of the doctors who keep them alive.
He also explored the role of an HSE unit, founded in Kilkenny, which is helping patients seeking to access medicines abroad using a variety of European programmes.
He said, “It’s sobering. It reminds me how lucky I am to be alive. “
Explaining why he did his job, he said: “It fills in the gaps of what has happened to me since that documentary twenty years ago.
“Maybe I can end my RTE life with a program that brings me hope.
“The explanation for why I am alive today is that more than twenty years ago I was able to make use of my rights as an EU citizen to access redress in Sweden that was not available in Ireland.
“But since then great strides have been made in Ireland’s fitness services, on many levels. The documentary seeks to describe and recognize this progress. “
Gorman continued to work while undergoing treatment until his retirement in 2021 after 41 years at RTE.
He told the Late Late Show at the time of his retirement that his paintings on RTE acted as a “wonderful distraction. “
Tommie said, “I think (working) is a glorious distraction. I think it gave me a purpose, it gave me a sense of dignity, it gave me a reason.
“With my disease, I have a liver with a lot of cancer, it’s still there, I’m still under treatment and I get an injection every month.
“The fact that I paint myself with a distraction helped me stay alive.
“That is one of the questions I ask myself, about what it will be like when it disappears.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. . . you know Joni Mitchell’s word ‘let the wind bring me,’ I’ll see. “
Tributes continue to pour in to the mythical truth-teller who spent four decades informing the Irish public on RTE.
Taoiseach Simon Harris paid tribute to Tommie for his “incredible contribution” to peace on the island by reacting to the “sad news” of his death.
The Taoiseach said al Dail: “I would have met Tommie in recent weeks at Sligo Rovers, his beloved football club, and even very recently at the European Movement event which I attended through Minister Donohoe. “
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald also told the Dáil: “I wish to express our initial surprise and sympathy towards Ceara and his family. I didn’t see it coming.
“He’s a wonderful guy and I’m sure we’re going to have the opportunity again, Ceann Comhairle, to reflect on him. “
RTE leader Kevin Bakhurst said he was tired of Gorman’s “sudden death”.
CARCINOID crises may occur in severe cases of carcinoid syndrome.
The Irish Cancer Society has warned that general anaesthesia, surgery or other remedies can lead to a life-threatening carcinoid syndrome.
A drug called octreotide (Sandostatin) may be given to treat the carcinoid crisis.
Symptoms include:
The Irish Cancer Society has issued a card that NET patients can post and use to inform others that they are at risk of a carcinoid crisis.
Paying tribute to him, he said: “I met Tommie on Monday night. He is in good shape and positive for this week’s surgery.
“Not only was Tommie a wonderful friend and colleague to me, as well as many others at RTÉ and beyond, but he was also a journalist of exceptional pedigree, integrity and tenacity. “
Gorman, born in Sligo in 1956, began his career with the Western People organization in the 1970s.
After spending three years working at the Ballina-based Western Journal, he joined RTE in 1980 as a North West correspondent.
He then took over as European editor in 1989, then moved to Brussels and was appointed North editor in 2001.
Speaking of his retirement in 2021, Tommie said his four decades at the station had “gone by too quickly. “
Gorman’s career highlights come with an exclusive interview with Roy Keane after Saipan, where he tried to convince Roy Keane to return to the World Cup team in 2002.
He has acted as a spokesperson in the Republic of Northern Ireland for the past two decades, specifically on its Brexit talks policy.
The RTE broadcaster became Sligo Free Man in 2003 and also received an honorary degree through NUIG in 2011.
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