Members of a Galway city Mixed Martial Arts Club have rallied in force to help one of their own – after she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Strange Wolves MMA, based in the Claddagh, Galway, sprang into action when their colleague Fiach Tobin’s fiancée, Ella, was diagnosed with Sarcoma.
Sarcomas are rare cancers that develop in the bones and soft tissues, including fat, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, deep skin tissues and fibrous tissues.
This rare cancer that accounts for just one per cent of all cancers diagnosed globally each year; there are on average 300 cases in Ireland with one in ten of them affecting children.
The cancer can originate in bone or soft tissues, such as muscles, fat, blood vessels, or tendons; it affects men and women equally.
When Ella was diagnosed last year, the club hosted the Roll Rumble, a unique 30-person wrestling competition with a twist – participants donned costumes and entered the ring to their own theme music, injecting fun and creativity into the event while supporting a serious cause.
What began as a short film documenting the event – created by local filmmaker Oscar Phelan and sound producer Sean Bourke – quickly evolved into something far more powerful.
After hearing Ella’s story and witnessing her extraordinary strength, optimism, and outlook on life in the face of a terminal diagnosis, the project transformed into a full-length feature documentary.
The result was Butterfly Guards, which premiered last Friday at the Eye Cinema in Galway.
The event was a heartfelt gathering that welcomed representatives from Sarcoma Ireland, Galway City Mayor Cllr Mike Cubbard, and Donegal Senator Nikki Bradley who also lives with Sarcoma.
Friends, family, and members of the Strange Wolves club came together to celebrate Ella’s story and the community that supports her.
In total the club has raised €16,042 for Ella and Sarcoma Ireland – and they will hold two extra showings of the movie at the Silent Cinema on Domnick Street and the Cornstore this Friday, July 25, at 5.30pm.
You can also still support Ella and the cause by donating at: https://www.idonate.ie/event/ButterflyGuardsDocumentaryPremiere.
Pictured at the fundraiser screening at the Eye Cinema Wellpark hosted by Claddagh based MMA club Strange Wolves of ‘The Butterfly Guards’, a documentary inspired by club member Ella, in aid of Sarcoma Cancer Ireland are Mayor of Galway Mike Cubbard, documentary director Oscar Phelan, Ella Heatley-Mulhall and Senator Nikki Bradley, Donegal, both of whom live with Sarcoma. Photo: Brian Harding.