11/15/2017
THANK YOU -THREE OAKS ! ..11/15/2017
Hello you lovely people!
Thank You Three Oaks, for putting a smile back on my face!
Well how do I go about pouring out my heart to thank so many people, some of whom, I don’t even know? You all came together as a group at the American Legion on September 17, 2017, in support of me, and I am so very grateful.
I’ve loved Three Oaks for twenty years, so in September 2013, I purchased what I thought was a beautiful building in one of the nicest locations of town. I have always loved little coffee shops, where you could also grab something light to eat, rather than a sit down full service cafe. So after much thought, the idea of opening “Conway’s”, a little coffee shop with an Irish twist, began to take shape. I thought it would give a uniqueness to the town, as well as providing a small business for myself while I was trying to recover from cancer and waiting to get back to work in my regular field as an entertainer.
Then after a year of renovating the building and almost three years open, doing a nice little business and getting some recognition in magazines and social media, cancer reared it’s ugly face for the third time in my life!
This time it was deadly serious, stage four melanoma. It required two large surgeries at the University of Chicago, and I am now scheduled for more surgery at the University of Michigan, pending test results.
When opening Conway’s , the idea was never to make a lot of money, it was more about giving than receiving. It was a way for me to thank people, help people, cheer people, and listen to people. It was my own little wellness house. A place to give back. Those of you that became regulars know that, and got it! Locals were given an extra discount. I often gave away a coffee, a scone or a cookie to random customers for no reason at all other than to put a smile on their face. People would often remark “you’ll never pay your bills if you give your food away!”
I’ve always lived by one of my favorite mottos: “What goes around comes around”. And this was proven to be true in my chosen hometown of three Oaks. Every time I have had cancer, it has taken my profession away and left me lost and wondering: Now what? How do I survive ? How do I pay the bills? How do I Live ? The people of Three Oaks, residents, seasonal home owners, visitors, fans, and MY FAMILY all gathered together for a social event in honor of me and lil ole Conway’s.
There are so many people that worked to organize this event, spreading the word on social media and putting beautiful posters in all the store windows on Elm Street. Musicians, bar staff, volunteers and businesses all gave their time and talent for a tremendously successful evening. I even had a knock on my door one morning and was presented with a speedway gas card for $200, courtesy of “Bettie’s Buddies”, to help pay for fuel bills for my hospital treatments in Chicago and Ann Arbor . I just couldn’t believe that ... I am very grateful and humbled that this little town has come together to help a F.I.P!
The reason it has taken me a while to respond and to thank each and every one of you is that I was going through a very sensitive two months of my life. I’ve had two major surgeries and follow up treatments, my 93 old mother traveled here from England to visit me (and check up that I’m eating right!), and then on the night she left, my nephew was run down by a motorist and left on a life support machine for 5 weeks. My extended family all flew to Florida, for what was believed to be our last farewell to my nephew Ciaran. He has since been flown back to Chicago, where he is making small strides forward, but there are many days where those strides slip backwards. It’s going to be a long road for Ciaran, and all of my family.
I want to express my sincere “Thank You” to everyone that contributed to my social evening at the American Legion in September. I am not mentioning names for fear of forgetting a few. I know who you are, and will, if I have not already, come and to say ‘Thank You’ personally .
Finally, I hope I am able after the treatments that I will be going through, to put together some kind of entertainment show to express my appreciation to Three Oaks for what you did for me.
I’m so proud of this little town and I’m proud of myself too, for never giving up on doing everything possible to purchase Conway’s and put it together with a couple of dear friends, in spite of negative feed back from banks and financial advisors saying it would not be a wise financial move, especially when you are a F.I.P...right?!
( which even though ,we all know what that means, and if you don’t , ask a local ) apparently for me it means “Effin Irish People “ lol😂☘️❤️
So from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU Three Oaks.
I am so proud of you and so proud to call this place my home. I’ll never forget your warmth and generosity towards me!
Kieran ☘️
