Kieran and Louise Crowley from Gorey are gearing up to take on the huge challenge of abseiling Croke Park on Friday, July 12th to raise funds for the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation in memory of their first-born, Rebecca, who passed away in 2011.
The couple, who moved to Wexford from Dublin over three years ago with their four children, decided to take on this challenge as a way to give back to the charity that they say helped them so much by providing in-home nursing care for Rebecca. “We were young and clueless new parents when Rebecca was born and initially there was no reason for concern about her health. However, I started to feel something wasn’t right,” explains Louise. “After different tests, Rebecca was diagnosed at five months with a neurological disorder called Lissencephaly. This meant that she had several very serious medical needs. Her tone was extremely low, and she required tube feeding and round-the-clock care, with a lot of medication. She also had epilepsy and was very prone to seizures. The level of care required increased as she got older, and she needed to be watched all the time.”
“We really wanted to be able to provide this care for Rebecca at home, especially as our family grew and her two brothers arrived – Andrew, when she was 18 months and Daniel a few years later. I really believe we only managed to keep her at home and with her family because of Jack and Jill. Having nurses in our home to give expert care to Rebecca was invaluable, especially at night as Rebecca didn’t sleep well and would cough a lot, resulting in secretions, which required constant monitoring.”
The charity which provides in-home nursing care and respite support for families with children with complex medical needs, proved to be of immense support to Louise and Kieran during this challenging time. “It wasn’t just the practical nursing help; it was the fact that Jack and Jill let us be a family. We wanted to be Rebecca’s Mammy and Daddy, as well as being her fulltime carers. Having the support from Jack and Jill allowed us time with our other children. There were many times we felt lost, hopeless and completely out of our depth, and having our amazing Jack and Jill nurse at the end of the phone for advice and support was of huge importance. We simply cannot ever thank Jack and Jill enough,” Louise explained.
The couple have set up a fundraising page idonate.ie/fundraiser/KieranandLouiseCrowley for anyone wishing to support them as they take on height of the iconic stadium, along with 80 others hoping to raise funds to support Jack and Jill families caring for their children in communities all over Ireland.
Alie Sheridan, Head of Fundraising at Jack and Jill said: “We are often blown away by the lengths the families under our care, past and present, go to, to support Jack and Jill right back, so that we can keep our vital service going. By scaling Croke Park, not only are Louise and Kieran taking on an incredible challenge to honour their beautiful little girl, Rebecca, they are helping others by fundraising and by building awareness about our service. I am looking forward to seeing them overcome this immense challenge, to thanking them for their continued support and to celebrating Rebecca’s legacy with Louise, Kieran and their supporters on the day.”
