Rickie ‘home this week’
THE Ballyclough man who sustained serious spinal injuries in an accident while on holiday in Spain could be back home in Ireland by the end of this week.
Rickie Healy, who is being treated for his injuries at a clinic on the island of Majorca, is said to be in “good spirits” after being “blown away” by the support and messages of goodwill he has received since the accident.
Meanwhile, the Go Fund Me account – set up initially to raise €25,000 to help bring Rickie back home – has so far managed to raise almost €60,000 with more donations coming each day.
An appeal has also been set up to raise money for Rickie’s ongoing rehab, with a number of fundraising events due to take place over the coming months.
HOPES are high that Mallow man Rickie Healy, who sustained serious spinal injuries while on holiday on the Spanish island of Ibiza, will return home to Ireland this week.
Following the accident last Friday week a Go Fund Me account was set up in Rickie’s name with the aim of raising €25,000 to bring the 27-year-old back to Ireland.
In an astonishing show of support for Rickie, more that 750 donations have been made to the account to date totalling almost €60,000, with an appeal also put in place to raise more funds for his ongoing treatment.
To contribute to the Rickie Healy Appeal fund visit www.gofundme.com/rickie-healyappeal-fund.
Appeal spokesperson Elizabeth Ahern, who like Rickie is a member of the Duhallow Hunt, said that Rickie and his family have been humbled by the level of support they have received since the accident.
“Despite his injuries, Rickie is in good spirits and has been blown away by the number of people that have donated to the account and the messages of support that have been flooding in to him and his family,” said Elizabeth.
“All going well, he is hoping to get back to Ireland sometime within the next few days and will be going directly to Dublin to begin rehab. Rickie is facing a long hard road ahead with an unknown outcome at present, but he will face it with typical bravery and determination. Simply knowing that so many people are rooting for him back home has given him an immense boost,” she added.
Elizabeth said that appeal organisers are in the process of putting together a comprehensive programme of fundraising events, full details of which will be unveiled over the coming weeks.
The first of these, an evening in the company of The Supernatural Brothers, will take place on Friday, August 4 in the Arches Bar, Mallow at 8.30pm.
Tickets for the evening, priced at €15 are available from their aptly entitled ‘ The Mindreading Room’ Facebook page or from Claudia on 087 180 9790.
“This will be just the first of many fundraising events planned for the appeal and we are confident that people will support them and help raise the money needed to help Rickie as he meets the challenges that lay ahead of him,” said Elizabeth.