The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Valentia woman Loreto is Munster mum of the year
LORETO Lynch from Valentia has been overwhelmed by all the kind comments she has received following the announcement that she has been named as Munster Mum Of the Year.
However, it is praise and credit her friend, Angela, says she more than deserves.
“She is worth it for the diligence and care that Loreto shows with her two girls, who have Autism. It is challenging living with Autism 365 days a year 24/7 with no respite. There is hardship attached. Loreto always has a smile on her face. It is a home filled with love,” said Angela.
In a letter to the Woman’s Way competition, Angela wrote about the difficulties of life for Loreto and her husband Jim. They have two daughters, both in their 30s, with Autism, but theirs is a happy and wonderful family who give so much inside and outside their home. She is mother to Louise (32) and Elizabeth (30), who have Autism, and to James (28) and Josephine (25).
Loreto not only looks after her daughters full-time with no respite care; she is also a campaigner for the need for supports for those with intellectual disabilities. One of these campaigns is for the development of a respite centre in Cahersiveen to cater for the entire region, which is currently without any such vital service. The Cunamh Iveragh group is spear-heading the project, and Loreto is a long-standing member of the organisation, which seeks to develop services for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Aside from that, Loreto also sits on the Board of Management of the local school, and when the two girls are at day-care, she also helps look after her mother, who is 90. Her strong faith sustains her through all this, and she is an active member of the church community.
“She is such a great community person.
They say ask a busy person to do, and that is Loreto, and she will do it,” said Angela. “She deserves every bit of praise and credit she gets.”
Loreto had no idea she had been nominated until she received a phone call from Angela, after Woman’s Way contacted her to say that Loreto was the Munster Mum of the Year.
“At first I thought it was a joke...I am still kind of stunned. I was shocked it takes the wind out of you,” she said.
Though Loreto has known for some weeks of the huge honour, it was only revealed to the public last week. However, Loreto, says the award is not just about her; it’s about every family and parent fighting for loved ones with intellectual disabilities: “I look out there and I see parents doing the same thing, I was just the parent who was nominated. This award is for everyone.”
Loreto has received numerous gifts from Woman’s Way, but the ‘icing on the cake’ following her win would be to get respites services rolled out in South Kerry.