CHANGING LIVES
Your support in action for CUH & CUMH March 2022
“Physio, honest to God, I’m sad to leave them because they gave me that start. They believed in me.” ~ Richard Murray, spinal injury patient
Your generosity fuels the hands-on heroes of CUH
H
idden in a room in a basement is the team that touches every department at CUH.
Richard Murray can tell you how crucial physiotherapy is to healing. In 2021, he and a few friends were on holiday on the Shannon River. It’s a boat trip they do every year. On the first day, they pulled off at a wooded spot to tie up for the night. They’d stopped there before. Richard was sitting on a wall, when suddenly he fell back off it. Right away, he knew something was wrong. His friends called an ambulance and Richard was taken to the nearest hospital in Limerick. After stabilizing him, they
sent him to the Mater in Dublin that same night. Before he knew it, he was in surgery for a spinal fusion. He had lost all motor control below the fracture – midway down his spine. As Richard tells it,
“It was life changing, of course. It happened on Monday night. And by the Wednesday morning it was the first day of the rest of my life.” e2 Please read on… continued on pag
INSIDE: First in Ireland cancer diagnosis >> Paediatric improvements >> Bees are coming!
Kevin, Brid, and Liz in the gym, ready to help!
Hands-on healing - how our physio team helps with recovery That’s when we met Richard. Our physios are not just building your muscles or your ability, they’re building confidence. “Everything the physios taught me allowed me to get back to my life on day one.” “Physio was the first time my world expanded beyond the room and the ward. The whole team, Brid and Kevin and Liz, they gave me that confidence. They were allowing me to deal with it properly and not being in denial about it. “I still had my tough days. But they bring me up. They get my spirits. And when I look back now, there were things that I found challenging then that I don’t even think about now. The good your generosity does – and why we need your help There are tools that would make progress better for people who are spasming and can’t do their exercises because of that. There are standing
frames, and floor mats so they can do exercises with people on the floor. “I have a standing frame at home now, and it allows me to stand up in the room here and get some work. It’s good for your bones, good for your bowels, good mentally as well. But I dread the day I have to return it to the community.” The importance of movement and exercise to healing cannot be overstated. For people like Richard, with spinal injuries, learning how to resume their lives is critical. Our physios teach, encourage, and offer emotional support to their patients. Richard says, “I know how good a start they gave me.”
Every bit of caring and compassion we can extend to our patients is all possible because of YOUR care and compassion.
Thank you.
Thanks to support like yours This first-in-Ireland technology that detects cancer lives at CUH Reiltin Werner [Chief Medical Scientist, Histopathology CUH] next to the new Ion Torrent Sequencer. And Miriam Healy and Sylvia McHenry: “Every gift, whatever the size, got us to our goal.”
A diagnosis of cancer can be frightening. To offer our patients the best care, we needed to enhance our cancer services. The Ion Torrent Sequencer at Cork University Hospital is the first of its kind in Ireland. It identifies the DNA profiles of cancers and determines the best treatment. This critical information can guide an oncologist’s choices and create a truly individualized approach to cancer therapy. Before we had this equipment, the wait for results could be as long as two weeks. Getting information faster reduces the time patients and families have to endure an agonizing wait. And even if the patient receives a cancer diagnosis, knowing early can improve quality of life and survival. But as you may imagine, equipment like this is costly. You’re part of a community that cares When people who care work together toward a great result, it’s
worth celebrating. We’re thrilled by the fundraising efforts from our community. Every euro towards the purchase of an Ion Torrent Sequencer improves the care for cancer patients.
• Miriam Healy and Sylvia McHenry are friends and breast cancer survivors. They led efforts that raised almost €50,000.
• The Karen Fenton Ovarian Cancer Fund raised €80,000 in memory of Karen Fenton, who spent her final weeks in CUH before her death in 2017, aged 43.
• And Mick McCourt, his family, friends,
and work colleagues from McAfee raised more than €64,000 in memory of his wife Aileen, who died in 2018.
For every kind person who came together to make this extraordinary purchase possible: we are so grateful to you!
Daisy’s 1st Race car Racing toward a more equal future
D
aisy’s 1st Race Car is a great story that girls and boys will all equally enjoy, written by Laura Hannon.
university. After working in a male dominated field for 10 years, she realised that empowerment needs to begin at a young age.
But inside is a special message for girls. Because this charming book highlights that sports (in particular motorsport) and STEM are options to little girls too.
Daisy is Laura’s way of sharing this message. The book’s aim is to smash the stereotype that girls don’t belong in STEM and motorsport.
As a Mechanical Engineer, Laura was the only female on her Engineering Course in
Proceeds from the book will support Children’s Services in CUH through CUH Charity. The book has also received
significant support from Formula Female and its founder, Nicci Daly - a mechanical engineer, an international hockey player and a motorsport engineer having worked in US race teams. If there’s a special child in your life, this book will make a lovely gift – with an important message for all children! Books are available online at www. laura-hannon-books. myshopify.com
A better place for children to heal – because you care
T
his past December, we filed an application with Cork City Council for the new Paediatric development at CUH.
bedrooms will look outside – with good natural light and views.
The courtyards will provide play space and a lovely view. There will be trees and plantings all set in raised planters.
The new development is set over 5 floors and includes 82 single bedrooms We’re all excited about this needed on the upper levels and theatres and development. It will allow us to serve diagnostics at ground level. It will connect children even better. to the main hospital concourse. Thank you for supporting the new The building will wrap around two children’s hospital at Cork University external courtyards, so the majority of Hospital. We could not be here without your help!
Fearless Fearne is doing fine Your generosity brings us closer to having the specialist care children like her need, right here in Munster
That’s how Sinead, Fearne’s mum, describes her spirited girl after the delicate surgery that removed part of her brain. Fearne had been having seizures. The only thing that helped at all was medication that slowed her down. She wasn’t herself at all. But her brain surgery was successful. And Fearne is once again her lively self. Thank you for your generosity – you’ve given her parents the best gift ever! Fearne has a Going Home Song! You can see her video at: https://youtu.be/Nul8vEuWW7s
Fearne with her favourite stuffed animal, Pixie
ck to “She’s ba ild she was.” the ch
How lively competition helped to save more lives Giants of GAA and rugby combined to support a new appeal by Cork University Hospital Charity for a major refurbishment project. Teams from across Munster signed up for the inaugural Dr Con Murphy Golf Classic – named after the legendary Cork GAA doctor who spearheaded the event. In true Cork-Kerry style, rivalry was intense until one of two teams led by Kingdom legend Eoin ‘Bomber’ Liston took the honours. He told us, “For me to be part of a team to win this; and we’re the first winners, we’ll remember that for many, many years.” The 48 teams which took part at Fota Island Golf Club this past September helped raise some of the €300,000 needed to revamp the geriatric ward at CUH. Plan to join us for the Dr. Con Murphy Golf Classic - Save the Date 15th September 2022.
We’d like to introduce you to our friends the bees We’re bringing bees to CUH! CUH serves as the national centre for the treatment of children with life-threatening allergic reactions to bee and wasp stings. Their treatment requires intensive, long term escalating doses of venom, given by injection. Immunotherapy nearly eliminates the risk of future reactions. Having hives on site will allow us to supervise immunotherapy-treated children as they resume this eco-friendly pastime. Other children will learn about
CUH Charity Office, Room 8, Main Concourse, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork.
bees as part of their science curriculum at CUH’s school. Bees perform essential services for us all – without them, we’d have no more fruit or seeds. Adding beehives will support Ireland’s declining bee population and benefit our entire community.
Tel: 021 4234529 Email: info@cuhcharity.ie Registered Charity CHY 17293
www.cuhcharity.ie