'I get to be his mum, not his carer'
A local family are fronting a new Christmas fundraising campaign for LauraLynn, Ireland's only children's hospice.
Eight year old Eoghan Dunne from Ballinagar, his sisters Ciara (7) and Keelin (9) and his parents Teresa and Ronan are one of the many families who access the wide range of services provided by LauraLynn every year.
Eoghan was born a healthy little boy but unfortunately he got sick a week before his first birthday.
A high fever quickly turned into pneumonia, then septic shock resulting in cardiac arrest which left him suffering severe neurological damage which left him with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Eoghan can’t use his arms or legs, he can’t walk or talk and is tube fed all his meals.
Eoghan is also blind but he is able to see shadows and can sense bright lights.
LauraLynn has to raise €4.3m every 12 months through public donations to maintain the services that it provides and has €1m left to raise this year.
Speaking to the Offaly Independent, Eoghan's mother Teresa said that she and her family were delighted to be able to help a charity that has given so much to her family in recent years.
In addition to providing specialist palliative care for children with life limiting conditions and their families, LauraLynn provides residential respite care for children such as Eoghan with complex care needs. They also offer a range of supports for the child's family.
The Dunnes are provided with 15 respite nights a year. While Eoghan is looked after by LauraLynn specialist team at the Hazel House Residential Respite House in Dublin, the rest of his family are provided with accommodation nearby, meaning Teresa and Ronan are never far away.
She said that the high level of care given to Eoghan and other children provides peace of mind to parents. The respite care also enables Teresa and Ronan to be able to spend some quality time with Ciara and Keelin, something that is not always easy to do when you have a child with complex care needs.
“There is a full medical team there to look after him. We don't have to worry about him. We can come and go with the girls. The staff are brilliant. “They give great advice and are so experienced with dealing with children like Eoghan.
“When you think about a hospice and respite care, you might think that it will be a sad place but its the total opposite. When you go up there the staff are so positive and they children are so well looked after.
“Allowing someone to look after Eoghan is difficult. But with LauraLynn, I can just switch off. I know I can 100% trust in the nurses, which means that for a little while I just get to be his mum, and not his carer,” she said poignantly.