Curran fundraiser nears €100k-mark

INJURED CYCLIST’S FAMILY SAYS IT IS IN AWE OF THE PUBLIC’S GENEROSITY

A relative of Waterville man Mike Curran has said the injured cyclist’s family has been left overwhelmed by the support received since the ‘Bring Mike Home’ GoFundMe page was launched last week.

Kieran Clifford said the fact that €98,000 has been donated to the cause since last Wednesday is testament to the kind of people Mike and his girlfriend, Sara O’Shea, are and to extraordinary generosity.

The Waterville man sustained five brain haemorrhages after colliding with a car between Reims and Paris earlier this month. He also suffered bleeding in his lungs, two fractured ribs, and a broken nose, cheekbones, and fingers.

Though he began breathing on his own in the days after the collision and recently came out of an induced coma, he is “struggling”, according to Kieran.

“He’s having really bad trouble with his eyes and his sleeping,” Kieran explained. “He is very confused”.

Sara and Mike were coming to the end of a round-the-world cycle – taking in regions such as Asia, the Middle East, eastern Europe, and mainland Europe – when calamity struck in France. He has since received treatment close to the site of the incident.

Given the extent of his injuries, he requires “very significant rehabilitation”, Kieran explained, and there is a sixmonth waiting list for the only facility in Ireland which can meet his requirements, the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. Medical professionals have said that he requires immediate intervention. A facility in the UK can meet his needs – but will cost €10,500 a week.

While the road to recovery will be long, Kieran said the support the family has received, both financially and in terms of goodwill, has been heartening.

“When I set this up, we initially set the target at €50,000 to help both Sara and Mike’s families as they travel over and back, and to help Mike on his road to recovery,” Kieran said. “But we’ ll need a lot more than that. The cost of transporting him to the UK may be huge. We think it will be by ground ambulance, but we’ll look at an air ambulance if it’s needed.

“I’ve known him [Mike] since we were children, and he’s one of the most genuine, kindest people you’d ever meet – and Sara is an equal match to him. The kind of money that’s been donated is a testament to this but also to the generosity of the people of Kerry and people who did not know Mike but heard his story, through a friend of a friend, that kind of thing.

“I’d like to thank everyone. The outpouring of love has been a huge boost to everyone.”

The page is at www.gofundme.com/tddwfd-bring-mikehome.

Mike Curran and Sara O’Shea