Shay Byrne’s 10km cycle for Lourdes neonatal unit
SHAY Byrne from Termon Abbey completed a 10km cycling challenge last weekend to raise money for the Neonatal Unit in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
Nine-year-old Shay decided to raise funds for the unit as he is all too aware of the fantastic job the team do - his Nana is a nurse in the neonatal unit and his baby sister Cara (9 months) spent a week in NICU following her birth last year.
Shay set up a Gofundme page with the help of his Mum Nicole in the hopes of raising €250 but has far surpassed this goal, raising more than five times this amount with donations still coming in.
His other Nana is also a frontline worker in St Mary’s Nursing Home so he is acutely aware of the important role they play in the current crisis, Nicole explained.
‘He’s very concious of what the money’s for and he decided himself what it was going to, it was his decision,’ she said. ‘He loves cycling so that was what he decided to do to raise the money.
‘We live in Termon Abbey so he was doing it around the estate,’ explains Nicole. ‘We all go out for a walk with him and he would go on ahead on his bike. His brother Harry did it as well so it was a family afffair.’
Shay completed his challenege last Sunday with neighbours and family members, including
Nicole, Dad, Kieran and siblings Harry and Cara as well as his grandparents who live within 2kms of the family, all cheering him on - from a safe social distance. And there was an added reason to celebrate for the family over the bank holiday as Shay’s little brother Harry turned 4 on Monday. Nicole said Shay was thrilled with his achievement and the amount of support he had received from the local community. ‘He’s absolutely delighted, he was jumping round the sitting room when it hit the €1,000 mark. Everyone has been so supportive, it’s just fantastic and a number of local businesses got behind him too with vouchShay ers for a raffle.’