Fundraiser for Wexford toddler with heart failure reaches €36k
Alfie Hearne from Screen was admitted to Children's Health Ireland, Crumlin at the start of April to undergo treatment for heart failure caused by Viral Myocarditis.
The tot, who is set to turn two next month, spent 3 weeks on life support before he was transferred to Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne for specialist cardiac treatment.
Family friend Domhnall McArdle set up a GoFundMe to help support his parents, Kenneth and Johanna Hearne as they and their two daughters need to relocate to the UK. Read more
The tot had a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) implanted, and must now remain at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle indefinitely as he awaits a heart transplant.
'Alfie is a happy, active little boy who loves tractors and playing outside in the sandpit,'the GoFundMe page reads.
'Before Alfie got sick he was in perfect health and would spend his day running around after his two older sisters Eileen & Elizabeth.
Alfie Hearne with his parents, Johanna and Kenneth, and sisters Eileen and Elizabeth (GoFundMe)
'Due to the nature of Alfie's treatment plan, his parents are travelling over and back to Newcastle, but now need to relocate the family there indefinitely.'
So far, 450 donors have raised €36,015 of a €60,00 target.
Scoil Ghormain Castletown raised €7,830 from a sponsored walk, while St Jude's Senior Camogie Team raised €540.
His parents previously told the Irish Independent that when Alfie first got sick at the end of March, they thought he just had a cold.
'My wife Johanna brought him to the doctors on a Monday and he presented like he had a chest infection,' dad Kenneth said.
'He was prescribed antibiotics and sent home.
Alfie Hearne (GoFundMe)
"She wasn't happy with him the following day, and then on the Wednesday she brought him to CareDoc and again they said it was a chest infection and to keep an eye on it.
"On Thursday, it seemed worse, so we brought him to the hospital. They thought he might have developed pneumonia, but when they did an x-ray on him, Alife's heart was enlarged. At that point they sent an ambulance from Crumlin Children's Hospital for him straight away.'
"He's been fitted with a VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) which assists his heart in pumping blood to the rest of his body,' the father of three explained.
Alfie Hearne (GoFundMe)
News in 90 Seconds - Monday June 23
"The left hand-side of his heart has severe impairment and there's mild impairment to the right side of his heart.'
Kenneth said that the couple were taking turns spending time in Newcastle with Alfie, while the other parent remained at home with their two daughters.
'It's not easy, with two other young children and another on the way,'
"At the moment, we're staying in a house attached to the hospital in Newcastle. But that wouldn't be an ideal place to bring a newborn baby in a few months time.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
19 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Brit, 20, breaks her back after fall from hotel balcony on Greek island… docs say it'll be 2 MONTHS before she can move
A YOUNG Welsh woman is in hospital after falling from a second-floor hotel balcony and breaking her back. The nightmare incident happened on the popular holiday island of Rhodes in Greece. Advertisement 4 She suffered fractured four vertebrae and remains in hospital Credit: GoFundMe 4 Holly had been on holiday with her partner when the accident happened Credit: Gofundme Holly Seaford, 20, had been on She suffered fractured four vertebrae and remains in hospital while she recovers, Wales Online has reported. But doctors have told her partner Tate Crees that Holly may have to wait as long as two months before she can walk again. Tate said: "She is lying flat in a hospital bed in a back brace unable to move or walk. Advertisement read more in world news "Doctors have told us it'll be at least six to eight weeks before she can start to regain mobility. "This is going to be a very difficult process." Holly and Tate had been due to But Holly's sister Briony has said the family can't afford to get her back home by themselves. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive She said: "She's in a lot of pain and is bedbound. "The last I heard they'd given her paracetamol. They can't effectively look after her there." Raging wildfires spread across Greek island holiday hotspot as hotels and homes are 'evacuated' A Tate added: "Medical repatriation is incredibly expensive — especially as the only way Holly can fly home is on a stretcher. Advertisement "Requiring, a specialist medical flight with trained staff to monitor her throughout the journey. "Unfortunately, this is not covered by insurance." 4 Daytime, Anthony Quinn Bay, Kallithea, Rhodes, Greece Credit: Getty 4 Famous tourist attraction – Acropolis of Lindos Credit: Getty Advertisement It comes after a 22-year-old Brit holidaymaker was injured after falling off a boat in Magaluf. He is said to have been drinking on the rented boat before falling and cutting himself. The Brit was taken to Son Espases Hospital in the Majorcan capital Palma. Elsewhere, another in the Netherlands. Advertisement Ben Roberts, 24, suffered a fractured skull when he fell His mother Kerry said: "I can't describe our loss, we are heartbroken. "As Ben's mum, part of me died the day he did." What to do if you're injured on holiday No one sets off on holiday expecting to be injured, but it's vital to be aware of what to do if accidents happen. If you booked a package holiday, then your tour operator or organiser should have measures in place to help you if you fall ill or are injured. But if you book your own travel and accommodation, it's especially vital to have travel insurance in place. Uninsured travellers can end up facing vast medical and repatriation expenses if the worst happens. The most comprehensive travel insurance plans can help cover medical emergencies and sometimes support in returning home if needed. Citizens Advice website says: "It's particularly important to take out travel insurance if you are travelling independently because you may find yourself stranded with no way to get home and no-one to help sort out your holiday problem."
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
New Irish health clinic set to make ‘fat jabs' more accessible to those battling obesity
TOUGH JAB | Top medic says new clinic aims to make injections more accessible but says they won't be prescribed for 'aesthetic thinness' But the top medic leading the programme cautioned that 'expectation management' is as important as weight management for those hoping to transform their health on the revolutionary drugs. 'We hear about the 20 per cent weight loss and 17 per cent weight loss,' begins Professor Suzanne Norris of the dramatic results seen by some users of GLP-1 drugs including Meghan Trainor, who put being at her 'healthiest [and] strongest' down to Mounjaro. 'However, the clinical trial data says that 85 per cent of people will lose at least 5 per cent body weight, so let's work from there. 'Obviously at the higher doses, some people did lose 20 per cent or 18 per cent or 17 per cent, but not everybody did. It's not that they haven't made enough of an effort — it's just bad luck. It's just the biology of your obesity disease that you don't respond to these drugs. 'But I would say there is significant weight loss for the majority of people.' Meghan Trainor lost significant weight on Mounjaro Figures from the HSE show how 60 per cent of Irish adults are now obese — with half the world's population expected to be living with the disease by 2050, according to separate scientific research. Newly opened in Dublin, Therapié Health is giving patients a chance to avoid becoming a statistic, or develop associated chronic illnesses ranging from type 2 diabetes to cancer, with a personalised Wegovy plan, strictly for over 18s with a BMI over 30 or BMI over 27 with at least one other weight-related condition like high cholesterol. 'This programme is very definitely not for people who just want to lose a few pounds before holidays or after holidays,' begins the clinical director, who is a consultant hepatologist and gastroenterologist and professor at Trinity College Dublin. 'That's not what we're interested in addressing, we're interested in addressing the problem of obesity. 'Most of my work, for the last 15-odd years, is liver-related. If you've too much fat on your liver, which is about two-thirds of what I see, and invariably due to obesity and being overweight, that's a risk factor for diabetes over ten years. 'So there's an opportunity when you know that somebody is developing those problems to really look at [their] health in the round, not just a liver focus, so that's how I've come into this. 'This is not new in the medical world,' adds Professor Norris of the medications which were originally developed to treat diabetes, before becoming more famous for their fat-blitzing side effects, with Rosie O'Donnell another of the shrinking stars who've spoken about their transformations. Professor Suzanne Norris News in 90 Seconds - Saturday July 12 'There's been a whole raft of clinical trials over the last ten years to get to this stage where they are now licensed for use in obesity. But what's happened post-Covid, [with] TikTok and celebrities talking about it, [is] sometimes [the science] can be sidetracked. 'It's not just about weight loss — it's about the health gains from weight loss.' Speaking to Magazine+ , as clinics elsewhere in the capital begin giving access to Mounjaro, a spokesperson for the HSE told how its Model of Care for Obesity, guided by international evidence, 'recognise[s] obesity as a complex, relapsing chronic disease where excess adiposity (body fat) has an impact on health. 'The guidelines recommend that people with obesity should have comprehensive individual assessment before agreeing treatment options. BMI is a measure of body size and is a useful screening tool, but it is not sufficient as a clinical assessment of excess body fat and its impact on health. 'In clinical practice, obesity staging tools such as the Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) should be used to assess the impact of excess body fat on a person's metabolic, functional and mental health before deciding on the best treatment options. 'Treatments for obesity include behavioural treatments, medication and bariatric surgery.' Therapié Health's medically-supervised programme includes a consultation (€50) and blood test (€95), with Wegovy costing €220 per month, and follow up appointments €35 per visit. Read more As demand for the jabs soars, however, Kathryn Thomas's recent RTÉ investigation, The Skinny Jab Revolution, showed just how easy it is to secure the medication online without a prescription, or even being overweight. 'I was shocked when I saw that,' Prof Norris says about the ease with which the already-slim presenter was able to get her hands on Ozempic, which like other GLP-1 (Glucagon-like Peptide 1) drugs, works by mimicking a hormone that lowers blood sugar and suppresses the appetite. 'But I can't say it enough: this is not a programme for aesthetic thinness. Sometimes it's difficult to have a conversation around the benefits because there's been, and understandably, a lot of media attention, around black market activity and it being unsafe. 'We know there's an awful lot of black market stuff, and you don't know what you're getting, it's not supervised, and people don't know about the side effects or how to manage the side effects; and that can all be done in a proper programme where you've got medical supervision. 'I think this is an opportunity to look at health, education, and for people to feel comfortable in accessing these drugs, because we've heard so much about how they shouldn't be used, but it would be nice to have a little bit of positivity around what they can achieve.' Tackling the nation's growing waistline, however, could be nothing next to tackling the taboos that persist around obesity, admitted Prof Norris. 'We all probably have our own inherent biases, and I say that as a medic, [but] I think, increasingly we're coming to understand that obesity is a biological disease. 'For many people, body weight is not a choice — it's the biology of how their body handles sugar and so on. If you think of it like that, that takes away anything about 'it's somebody's fault' or 'they're not doing enough'. 'I think people who live with obesity are very committed to their health, but struggle because we haven't had good drugs to help. These drugs are definitely the game changers to manage this — it's actually quite exciting.'
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Dog therapy volunteers Alfie and George bringing comfort to patients in the North West Hospice
Eleven year old collie Alfie and five year old chorkie George are visiting patients in North West Hospice who may be missing their pets or who would just like some time with them. Alfie's owner Anne Stevenson explained why her lovable Collie started visiting patients, care of Irish Therapy Dogs. 'Alfie is a rescue dog. He was dumped on our doorstep. We were only meant to foster him but he had such an affectionate nature that he wrangled his way into the house and decided never to leave. He has this ability to find people who need a hug.' Alfie started visiting the Rehab Unit in St John's Community Hospital, Sligo in 2017 and after that he started visiting North West Hospice also. He now visits patients once a week. 'I always check if the patients want to meet him. Anyone that meets him loves him. But sometimes he will spend more time with the relatives, because sometimes the relatives need the comfort more than the patient. He's a really nice natured dog.' Geraldine Fowley, who owns George explained why George started visiting North West Hospice as part of the hospice's Dog Therapy Initiative. 'Every time we go anywhere George makes people smile and I thought he might spread that smile to other places. And because I volunteer with North West Hospice, I thought this is perfect. We try to come in once a week. I think people enjoy him,' she said. Geraldine explained why she decided to become a volunteer at the hospice. 'I thought I need to do something because I retired and I thought wouldn't the hospice be nice?' she said. Not only does Geraldine volunteer at the reception but she also runs the volunteer trolley service once a week. Describing volunteering at North West Hospice she said: 'You get great satisfaction out of it. You know you are helping out and that's the most important thing. And when people come in to see their loved ones and you just have that little smile for them and you've empathy, not sympathy, for why they are here, it's lovely.' Nuala Ginnelly, Operational Lead for North West Hospice described the importance of the volunteer programme in the hospice. 'Our volunteers are an integral part of our North West Hospice team, offering supports in many areas of the hospice i.e reception cover, gardening, flower arranging, holistic therapies and more recently the dog therapy programme. All of these initiatives not only support the patients and families but significantly support our staff in their day to day work.' Cathy Quinlan, Volunteer Coordinator, North West Hospice said: 'I have the absolute pleasure of working directly with all of the volunteers in our North West Hospice site. Every day I get to talk to these lovely people, hear their beautiful stories, share in their volunteering experience, support them with anything that they need to carry out their volunteering, and get to know the amazing people that they are. And now, I get to give loads of cuddles to Alfie and George! The volunteer group are very special to the North West Hospice.' North West Hospice is currently looking for volunteers to help as charity shop assistants, event and fundraising helpers, reception / admin support and for hairdressing / holistic therapies. Whether you have a few hours a week or more, North West Hospice would love to hear from you. Volunteering at North West Hospice is flexible, rewarding, and deeply meaningful. You can sign up by visiting their website, where you can chose a role that suits your skills and availability, and then fill out an application form. You can then send the application via email to or post to North West Hospice, The Mall, Sligo, F91K226, or contact 0719143317 and ask for their Volunteer Coordinator.
