Coming into the dressing rooms after defeat in the final of the Tyrone Senior Championship last week, Trillick St Macartans GAA were to be hit with news that would hit harder than any defeat ever would.
Their manager and former Tyrone county footballer Jody Gormley revealed to his side that he had terminal cancer, with his doctor telling him he only had "months to live."
Gormley, who was part of the Tyrone side that won the Ulster Championship and reached the All-Ireland final in 1995, had received the news of his diagnosis in mid-September after recovering from a stroke he had in July while training with his son James.
After revealing the news of his diagnosis following the Tyrone Senior Championship Final, Jody Gormley sat down with Thomas Niblock for an interview on the BBC's GAA Social podcast where he gave a powerful message in the face of his illness.
It's an opportunity for me to show that yeah just because you have a terminal illness doesn't mean your life is over. I intend to go out with a bang, I'm not going to lie down in the corner.
People need different role models and I suppose in my role in my life as a teacher and a coach, I've had that role. This an opportunity to show that you can keep on going and if somebody finds something of use in it it's worthwhile
Gormley spoke about how he isn't scared of what's to come, but more upset about what he'll miss in the future.
I have no fear of dying. No fear of dying whatsoever. I've felt blessed throughout my entire life, the sadness is the people you're leaving behind. That I'll not get to see my son, he's training hard with Trillick, he's come back after a couple of years, that I'll not get to see him play and I'll not get to see my family grow up and mature.
That's not scary but sad really. That's the reality. When you peel it all back, it's the people close to you that you're not going to have those experiences with. That is the genuine sadness, there's no being tough around that, that's the reality.
When the Trillick GAA team made their way back to their dressing room after a Tyrone club football match final last Friday, their manager, Jody Gormley, sat them down and revealed he has just months to live. He's been speaking on the BBC's GAA Social podcast to Thomas Niblock. pic.twitter.com/Jz55XQbHYC
— BBC Newsline (@bbcnewsline) November 1, 2024
Jody Gormley is an inspirational man who will be missed by the community both inside and outside the GAA.
