RTÉ shows a day in the life of vital health link bus

KERRY CANCER PATIENT FEATURES IN POPULAR HEALTH MATTERS SERIES ‘KEEPING IRELAND ALIVE’ ON RTÉ

THE Kerry-Cork Health Link Bus featured on the popular RTE series ‘Keeping Ireland Alive: the health service in a day’ on Monday evening as viewers gained an insight into the important role the bus plays in the lives of people battling cancer. Kerry woman Madeline McCarthy featured in the programme as she travelled on the bus to receive treatment for cervical cancer at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

Thankfully, Madeline is now in remission but the programme offered an understanding of what a ‘day in the life’ of the bus is like and the camaraderie of its patients as they share in a life altering journey together.

The service first started back in 2007 and it’s thanks to fund raising and corporate sponsorship that the bus is able to fulfil its important role.

Trish Kelly - office administrator with Kerry-Cork Health Link Bus - said the RTE programme showed a side to the bus that many people may not have known about.

“It was great to see Madeline - who is an extremely brave woman - telling her story. People in Kerry might not realise it but when patients get on that bus they become one family as they share their stories and the camaraderie they create. This came across in the programme,” Trish said.

Trish also praised the staff at CUH who she said work in tandem with the bus timetable in a way that allows people travelling from Kerry to return home again by evening time following treatment.

“What was lovely about the programme was the way Madeline was back home again in the evening with her daughters after school and this is something the staff at CUH make possible as they block book Kerry patients in a way that saves time and allows them to return home again by evening time. Very often people who drive for treatment might not be seen until the late evening and the bus helps to give the day a more structured feel to it,” concluded Trish.