Virtual coffee morning on cards for children’s charity
A family from Monageer will be holding a virtual coffee morning to raise money for Ronald McDonald House.
Colm and Rosemarie O’Loughlin, from Monageer, hold a regular coffee morning fundraiser for the charity every year but obviously this year is a little different in terms of public gatherings.
Their third child, Darragh, was born on February 2, 2017, in Wexford General Hospital.
However, 24 hours later he began to show signs that he was not coping well and he was transferred to Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin, and was admitted to the Children’s Heart Centre.
‘Over the next few hours a cardiologist came to explain that our son had a complex heart defect,’ said Rosemarie.
When Darragh was just two days old he had his first investigative cath lab procedure and was scheduled for open heart surgery at six-days-old.
‘ This surgery was an in-term surgery to give him some support to allow to get bigger and stronger before he needed his repair surgery,’ said Rosemarie.
‘During this admission we spent a month in hospital, but finally, he was well enough to come home and meet his older brother Cian and sister Molly,’ she added.
The O’Loughlins spent three months at home before Darragh needed to return to Crumlin Hospital where he required further treatment.
‘We were moved to ICU, where he spent two weeks on a ventilator waiting for his surgery and it was at this time that we got a room in Ronald McDonald House,’ said Rosemarie.
‘It is difficult to put into words what a difference this made for us,’ she added.
‘We had two children at home, who could only come up for day visits prior to this and although they wanted to come to visit, a hospital is not a place for healthy, active children.’
Rosemarie said the room in RMHC meant they could all stay together, be a family again, and visit the hospital.
‘Our children called it the ‘ holiday house’, and they loved to come to visit,’ she said.
‘It was a place where we could sit with our parents, family or friends who visited, and drink a cup of tea,’ she added.
‘It was a place to come to at the end of a long, stressful day in the hospital and sit down and unwind and try to feel ‘normal’.’
Rosemarie went on to comment: ‘We went on to spend a further seven weeks in ICU recovering surgery, extending our admission to 19 weeks.’
‘We have had two more admissions in Crumlin Hospital and both times have been lucky to get a room [in RMHC],’ she said.
I cannot express the difference the house has made to our family over the years,’ she added.
‘It really did help us through our darkest days.’
To support the O’Loughlin’s virtual coffee morning people can donate through www.idonate.ie/darragholoughlin.
If people send Rosemarie photos of themselves having their own coffee or tea at home they will be posted online on the idonate page.
To support families of sick children in hospital, text HOUSE to 50300 to donate €4 or alternatively send a ‘ hug’ or Barróg to someone you care about for €10.
The ‘Barróg’ is a soft huggable bunny rabbit that can be sent as a gift, providing vital funds for the Ronald McDonald House.