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<\/p>\nFor \u2018The Young Offenders\u2019 and 2FM star, Daffodil Day is all about providing support\n<\/p>\n
It has been 20 years since Oviawe (25) lost her mother, and a decade since her father died. Despite the profound losses, the Young Offenders star said she \u201cdidn\u2019t let the grief consume her\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother had breast cancer, my father had a tumour, and then complications unfortunately took both of them,\u201d Oviawe told the Irish Independent.<\/p>\n
Oviawe said it is an \u201cabsolute privilege and honour\u201d to be an ambassador for the Irish Cancer Society\u2019s Daffodil Day, adding that the charity means a lot to her.<\/p>\n
The broadcaster, who currently co-hosts 2FM Drive with Demi and Mikey, has been vocal about the heartbreak of loss, saying she wants to be a role model for others.<\/p>\n
However, the Cork woman said she does not like to think of herself as someone in the public eye, as she describes herself as \u201cjust a person who got lucky and is in a situation when she can talk about these things\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be a role model. I want to show that it\u2019s not always going to be perfect. There are things that people go through and you should be vocal about all those kind of things.<\/p>\n
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Daffodil Day ambassador Demi Isaac. Photo: Frank McGrath<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought I would be an ambassador for Daffodil Day. I never thought that I would be able to talk about the griefs that I went through in my childhood from losing both my parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I didn\u2019t let the grief consume me. Everyone deals with things differently. I was very fortunate to have quite a strong support system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oviawe, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in Mallow, Co Cork, credited the support from her family and community for making the biggest difference to her when she was young.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy stepmum, my uncle, my nana, my school, my family, my best friends \u2013 without them, I probably wouldn\u2019t be doing what I\u2019m doing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey showed me that there\u2019s always light at the end of the tunnel. So if I can relay that information to whoever is reading or listening to me and showing them that it is dark and gloomy right now, but there will be a bright sunny day eventually, then that\u2019s exactly what I want.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just a kid going through a lot and the teachers in school were always there for me. My community is all very much in tune with each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re one big happy dysfunctional family, but we\u2019re there for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oviawe\u2019s favourite thing is to put a smile on someone else\u2019s face<\/p>\n
However, Oviawe said every family\u2019s situation is \u201cdifferent\u201d and people cope with diagnosis and loss \u201ccompletely differently\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor my family, we were just very fortunate that my dad didn\u2019t go into a hospice. He wanted to stay at home, so we were together to the very end,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd together, it brought us a lot closer. And it\u2019s hard now, but from my personal standpoint, it was that my dad was in so much discomfort and pain, and now he\u2019s at ease and that\u2019s the way we cope with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before joining 2FM, Oviawe starred in RT\u00c9 and BBC\u2019s sitcom Young Offenders and Netflix\u2019s School for Good and Evil.<\/p>\n
With these roles, she said she \u201cknows she\u2019s making someone\u2019s day\u201d, adding that her favourite thing is to put a smile on someone else\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that kind of gets you through the darkness that can sometimes be closing in on you,\u201d Oviawe said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been an entertainer at heart, so if I can do that for another person, then I\u2019ve done my job and I\u2019m delighted with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Daffodil Day, Oviawe said she is an \u201cavid\u201d believer in the Irish Cancer Society and in everything that they do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey provide services for cancer patients as well as their families, which is very important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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The message on Daffodil Day is that support is always there for patients and their families. Photo: Getty<\/p>\n
\u201cDaffodil Day is a reminder that we are coming together as a community to help those who really need it. It doesn\u2019t matter what you\u2019re doing, doesn\u2019t matter how much you give \u2013 as long as you\u2019re giving something, that\u2019s all that matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope this won\u2019t be the last time that I\u2019m an ambassador for Daffodil Day. I feel like I\u2019m making a difference, and I\u2019m being very vocal and very active about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oviawe appealed to people to get themselves checked out and to go to their doctor if they \u201cfeel like something is off\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a scare myself. My mum was around my age when she had her diagnosis, maybe a couple years older. I\u2019m very much in tune with my body and if something feels abnormal, I\u2019m always checking myself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always doing the breast check that they tell you to do at home, just because I\u2019d rather catch it now than catch it 10 years from now.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Daffodil Day, the Irish Cancer Society needs our support to continue to provide cancer patients and their families with free services.\u201d<\/p>\n