Until the age five, Eoghan never got to celebrate Christmas.
That’s because birthdays and holidays got put on hold a week before his first birthday.
What began as a fever turned into a trip to hospital, where Eoghan suffered a massive cardiac arrest.
It took a team of doctors, working for ten agonising minutes, to resuscitate Eoghan.
Thankfully, he survived. But he suffered irreversible neurological damage. He has quadriplegic palsy, meaning he can’t walk or talk. He has epilepsy, and is almost completely blind.
Eoghan went from being healthy, babbling and crawling, to having to be tube fed, and needing 24/7 care.
Family life, and everyday special moments, got put on hold, as Eoghan’s parents became his full time carers.
Today, will you help a family like Eoghan’s?
With your help today, parents of a child with a life-limiting illness can focus on just being parents, and making the most of every last moment together.
When you’re looking after your child as their constant carer, you get no time to just be a mum or dad, as Eoghan’s mum explains:
“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.”
Time together as a family – it’s the most precious gift you can give this Christmas.
Parents will have the peace of mind knowing their child will get the medical care and attention they need, so they can focus on creating happy moments.
Sadly, because of Eoghan’s illness, he missed out on so many special moments – especially Christmas.
But LauraLynn, with the help of our supporters, made up for each and every missed one.
His first Christmas surprise was having Santa show up at LauraLynn to hand deliver Eoghan his present.
The following year, Eoghan got an even bigger surprise.
We arranged for him to appear on the Late, Late, Toy Show. His mum was over the moon…
“We met Ryan Tubridy and hung out in the famous green room. Eoghan got to play with all the toys. It was brilliant. LauraLynn just make life more positive. Instead of dreading what lies ahead, you have something to look forward to all the time.”
Thanks to our amazing supporters, Eoghan’s family is making the most of every last moment.
This Christmas, another family of a child with a life-limiting illness needs your help just as much.
Eoghan’s mum says it best…
“Giving families like ours a break, and time together to just do normal things. It’s the greatest gift you can give to a family like mine.”
Thank you,
Sarah
LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice
