‘DJ let ordinary decent people down with his litany of lies'

‘Shameless and never in Seattle’ for cancer treatment was one of the taglines written about DJ Carey last week. How apt.

This saga has made me very cross. In my mind’s eye I can see DJ, the super star signing hurleys and jerseys for little children who wanted to play for Kilkenny. DJ’s fall from grace was a hot topic amongst a group of us cancer patients waiting for our radiotherapy appointments.

It’s usually a very silent place. Some people just don’t like to talk. I understand that. I think it’s a way of coping with our lot, doing the treatment, but not acknowledging it.

There’s a TV in the waiting room and it was on very quietly. Imagine me, in my hospital gown with four other gowned gentlemen. A flash of DJ Carey on the screen was akin to an injection of truth serum.

Stopped in his tracks

My normally quiet companions expressed their disgust at the deceiving tactics of the once revered GAA All-Star. I think it was the stealing of our clothes that hurt the most. DJ obviously knows nothing about cancer treatment. If he had even one dose of chemotherapy along with its side effects, he’d have been stopped in his tracks.

Hurling people hate this narrative about the legendary star. They would much prefer to enjoy the untarnished memories and relive the great sporting moments.

Instead, people are hurt. Kilkenny folk have been cheated. GAA players all over the country have been let down.

How DJ actually duped so many remains a mystery. Or is it?

You see there is a secrecy about cancer. Some people wish to go through the treatment without discussing it with family or friends. I meet people who know me from this column. Some are quick to tip me off if their cancer is a secret. I would never say that I met someone in the hospital corridors or waiting rooms. People are entitled to their privacy.

DJ obviously knows nothing about cancer treatment. If he had even one dose of chemotherapy along with its side effects, he’d have been stopped in his tracks

Unfortunately, this allowed DJ to target people and dupe them into thinking he was, in fact, sick. They became part of his secret. The problem for DJ is that he was a celebrity and that gave him perceived power over others. He somehow felt a sense of entitlement to be helped at a time when people all over the country were losing their businesses and homes. His biggest sin was the con part. He deceived his victims twice.

Firstly, he led people to believe he was very ill, garnering their sympathy. Secondly, he called the money gift a loan. People are far more open to a loan. One gentleman asked for proof and never heard from DJ again. There’s the answer for kind and caring people going forward. You are entitled to ask plenty of questions and get proof that the money is really needed. Any decent person would supply back up information in the first instance.

The generous people that did help the star should be proud of their caring nature. In the greater scheme of things, we try to understand DJ’s actions. Chalking him up to being a con artist extraordinaire is probably simplistic. Being desperate or broke does not excuse him.

Moral of the story

The loneliness of cancer is sometimes mind crushing. DJ now suffers that same fate. The silence that is DJ Carey’s reality now has sharp claws.

He didn’t know how good he had it when he was signing jerseys. It doesn’t come with rights.

If there’s a moral to this story, it is that you if you loan money, you need to consider that you might never get it back.