Sean’s Story 💙

Sean was born August 2013, Our 4th baby. It became clear very soon after birth he was a very sick baby, at 20 hrs old he was transferred to Crumlin.. they struggled to find a diagnosis as he got weaker .. at 9 days old Sean was diagnosed with Juvenile Xantogranulomatous in his liver spleen and skin…(a non langerhans hystiocyosis) an extremely rare paediatric cancer .. (apparently 1 in 14 million. He commenced chemotherapy at 9 days old.. he had blood transfusion’s numerous times a week.. he had a very tough battle with numerous treatments, different chemotherapy’s and sometimes it looked like there was no hope. He was christened there at 7 weeks old! The doctors and nurses in crumlin never gave up.. they contacted experts worldwide and with recommendations from America Sean eventually finished treatment and went into remission in his 3rd year. We are forever in dept to all the wonderful staff in Crumlin.

Please come and support this fantastic event.

Sinead & Barry Hogan.

Lennon’s story

Lennon is an amazing 4 year old boy who has experienced the brilliant care from the staff in Crumlin’s Children’s hospital since his very first day.

Lennon was born with a very complex congenital heart defect known as “Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome”. This is where the right ventricle in his heart never formed.
He was transferred to the Children’s heart centre in Crumlin Children’s hospital within 2 hours of being born and was put on life saving medication to help his little heart function without the right ventricle. After a number of complications he finally had his first heart surgery at just over 2 weeks old. The cardiothoracic surgeon worked on his tiny heart and put in a stent to help blood flow.
He had this stent ballooned 2months later and unfortunately after this he suffered a large bleed, the nurses and staff of Childrens heart centre acted quickly to save his life and we for this will be forever grateful!
At 6 months old Lennon had his first open heart surgery. Amazingly he flew through this surgery and was home within 6 days, A true warrior!

He then went on to have his second open heart surgery this year (2022) at just 3 years old, where they redirected the remaining blood flow in his body, meaning now he is working with only half his heart, the left side. Again he sailed through the surgery like the warrior he is but unfortunately I’m the days that followed he suffered a brain injury and remained in icu for a number of weeks.
 With the amazing help of the staff in the hospital Lennon has learned to walk, talk and be a normal busy little boy again.
Every single member of staff we have encountered during our time in the Children’s hospital have been amazing and very professional. They care for the children like they are their own, bringing a smile to their faces (and ours) even on the hardest of days! They are a great support to parents and families too, providing reassurance and guidance at every step.

Lennon will continue to use the services at the Children's heart centre until he reaches the age of 18, with regular check ups and surgeries planned to make sure his heart is staying strong as he grows.

With two families in such a small community like Newtowncashel having a special experience with the Children’s heart centre we feel it is extremely important to give back and say Thank you for everything.
The money raised by the tractor run this Halloween will go towards the Children’s heart centre as well as the PICU, very much needed funds for both wards and families who use them like us. 

-CarrieAnn Smith & Cathal Mulvihill

Ayda's story

Our beautiful girl Ayda was born in July 21. Shortly after she was born her health deteriorated, and it was discovered she had been born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a life threatening condition where her bowel had moved through a hole in her diaphragm, restricting one of her lungs development and also meant her heart had moved to the other side of her chest.

Ayda was transferred to PICU1 in Crumlin children's hospital where she spent the first few weeks of her life. The first few days were spent on full life support trying to stabilise her for surgery, which she underwent when she was 6 days old. She continued her recovery in PICU1 and then onto a ward before we got to bring her home at just under a month old.
 Unfortunately she had another stay in PICU1 at 3 months old when she reherniated - the stitches in her diaphragm had opened and part of her bowel had moved back up into her chest. Ayda had further surgery to repair this.
The care both Ayda and ourselves received in PICU1 was outstanding. Every single member of staff was so helpful, always there to provide reassurance and answer our questions. We were kept informed at every step, and they had an amazing way of celebrating all the small wins while still managing our expectations.
Ayda is now a busy one year old full of love and determination, and that is down to the lifesaving care she received in Crumlin. There isn't enough money to repay what they have done for us. But hopefully the money raised from this fundraiser will go someway to helping other families that find themselves in PICU1.

 -Eleanor Carroll & Enda Fallon

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.