08-05-2025
‘The Mighty Quinn' battled brain cancer at age 3. Now his father is doing the same.
Jarlath Waters wears a shirt showing support for his 11-year-old daughter, Maggie, who swims competitively.
Courtesy of Tara Waters
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After Quinn relapsed in 2021, neighbors in Weymouth and Quincy continued to
But on April 7, just days after Quinn's latest cancer-free scan, Jarlath had a seizure at an airport in Ireland, leading doctors to discover the mass in his brain. Diagnosed with glioblastoma, Jarlath was told he has at most three or four years left to live, but he remains powerfully optimistic about his condition, his family, and the road ahead.
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'I have my faculties about me, I have my wits about me, and after I finish treatment, I will work and get my health back and live my life to the fullest,' he said.
Maggie Waters, Jarlath Waters, Quinn Waters, and Tara Waters at Massachusetts General Hospital on Easter Weekend. (Courtesy of Tara Waters)
Courtesy of Tara Waters
Family is grateful to have each other, mom says
After Jarlath spent two weeks at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital and another two at Mass General, the family said they're more grateful than ever for simple activities like Friday movie nights, frozen yogurt outings, and swim meets.
Jarlath's wife, Tara, said that during Quinn's cancer treatments, the family got closer and learned how to support each other amid their fear and anxiety. Now, she said, the sanctity of their home will help her husband.
'It seems like such an innocuous thing, but the safety of our home and the family, it was a good thing to have,' Tara, 47, said.
'In hindsight, it was there'
Jarlath, who emigrated to the US from the Dublin area in 2001, has worked as a carpenter and apprentice instructor for decades. He always prided himself on quickly learning the names of all his students.
But earlier this year, he noticed he'd have to look at his roll sheet multiple times during class. He also had trouble concentrating on home improvement projects, which had never been a problem for Jarlath, who said he was always 'go, go, go' with his tools around the house.
His wife and a few friends noticed him going about life more slowly, he said, but he chalked it up to normal fatigue. Now he realizes his worsening memory and exhaustion were tell-tale signs of brain cancer.
'I just put it down to my workload or overdoing it,' he said. 'In hindsight, it was there, but it wasn't bad enough that I knew.'
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Tara said that when she got the call that Jarlath had suffered a seizure at the Dublin airport, her mind immediately turned to the worst possibility.
'I knew right away that it was glioblastoma,' she said.
The Waters family takes a photo after Jarlath was released from Massachusetts General Hospital. (Courtesy of Tara Waters)
Courtesy of Tara Waters
'We know what we're getting into'
On Friday, the family of four settled onto their couch in Weymouth to watch 'Jurassic Park,' happy to have Jarlath at home after nearly a month in hospitals, Tara said.
They'll continue to enjoy every day and make memories together, Jarlath said, even as experts search for a link between the brain cancers that have struck father and son.
Jarlath said that although chemoradiation therapy will be difficult, he's not afraid or worried.
'It sucks, but we know what we're getting into,' he said.
This week, he's happy to be recovering well from brain surgery, saying he feels 'better than I did last week.'
He's also enjoying running, weight training, and cheering on his 11-year-old daughter Maggie, whom Jarlath described as a 'phenomenal swimmer.'
'People have heart attacks or strokes and they don't get a do-over,' Jarlath said. 'With me, I'm given an opportunity to live a little bit longer, and do more with my family, so I'll take that and run with it, and make the most of every day I have.'
Claire Thornton can be reached at
