Our Overcoming Adversity Award, sponsored by Armagh Credit Union, will recognise someone who has went up against hardship in their life but managed to fight back the odds and succeed.
There are four finalists in this year’s category, each of whom have responded to all the hurdles that life has thrown at them.
They are: Ashleen Mayberry, Aine Doyle, Majella and Paul Hughes and Adam Donald. Vote for your winner here.
Ashleen Mayberry has been nominated for the award by her mother Marian.
Marian wrote: “I am nominating my beautiful daughter who has shown true courage and determination. She is only 19 and started her own wee business last year and grew it this year.
“On opening her own premises she has overcome so much and suffers with autism. Most of her school years were spent hiding away and not being able to go to school because she was always afraid she didn’t love herself and suffered with anxiety.
“To watch her grow and achieve what she has is amazing. She fought through all her battles and proved that she wasn’t giving up.”
At the age of 23, Aine Doyle has already overcome hardship that the rest of us wouldn’t dream of.
When doing her GCSEs five years ago, she was diagnosed with stage-4 Hodgkin lymphoma. Aine sat her exams at home and then spent her Lower Sixth year getting treatment.
She had only finished her treatment in August, before going back to school in September and passing her four A-Levels.
Aine went on to do a Law degree and has how finished her Barrister degree, hoping to graduate on June 26.
Her nominator said Aine only missed one year of her sports, returning back to Camogie and Football.
Majella and Paul Hughes from Armagh held a fundraising event last year to raise money for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, the charity that helped bring home their son who had died in a workplace accident in America.
Sean Hughes, who was 27 and a married father-of-one, passed away in June 2021, six months after a fall.
The fundraising day in Hughes’ Bar was held alongside a charity run in Armagh, with it being estimated that over £11,000 was raised for the charity.
Speaking to Armagh I, Majella said: “Within an hour, they [KBRT] had the whole thing sorted out. It was unbelievable.
“They took everything out of our hands and we had nothing to do. You just feel you had to repay them back because they could bring other children back to their families.”
Adam Donald was nominated by his mum Elaine who has described him as “such an inspiration” to others.
Adam lived through a very troubled childhood, battling drugs, drink, depression and suicidal thoughts. For years he had panic attacks and couldn’t meet new people, becoming almost housebound and struggling to hold down a job.
Adam started going to the gym, trained himself up and went to conventions and turned his life around.
Today, he’s free from drink and drugs and even owns his own online gym business, using it to help people with mental health.
Last year, Adam moved to Australia for a year to expand his business and is due home this September. He has his own podcasts and just finished a charity marathon on the Gold Coast for the Headspace mental health charity.
Mum Elaine said: “He truly is a inspiration to others. We are so so proud of him to become the man he is today.”
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