A double tribute to Morag Gaherty

The Red Lion Group owes former membership secretary and Roar! editor Morag Gaherty a double debt of gratitude.

Morag who sadly died of cancer earlier this year was one of the pioneers of the group when it was founded in 1994. Working closely with St Mark’s Hospital’s senior pouch nurse specialist Julia Williams, it was Morag’s drive and determination that helped transform RLG from a small patient support group into a national and now international charity.

So you can imagine the committee’s surprise and gratitude when we heard that Morag had left us a £3,000 bequest in her will.

Morag’s husband Brian who had a pouch op after suffering from FAP (familial adenomatous  polyposis) was also an active founder member of the Red Lion Group and served as chair of RLG for three years.

When Brian passed away in 2005 Morag continued to be an active member of the committee, mainly due to her concern that one of her three children might inherit FAP, a genetic condition that can cause bowel cancer, from their father.

Morag was always a vibrant and good-humoured presence at Information Days and RLG committee meetings. Her lively articles and acute observations about pouchcare and modern treatment were also a delight to read in various editions of Roar! magazine.

Morag was a woman of many parts. A trained chartered accountant, she founded and ran a successful online reusable nappy business, appropriately named The Nappy Lady, for almost 10 years – and the company is still trading.

Morag who lived in Bearsted, near Maidstone, Kent, leaves a daughter Lucy, aged 23, and a 21-year-old son Thomas.