€40,000 fund-raiser in honour of Dara, 6

IN January, 2020, Cork boy Dara Kelleher was diagnosed with a type of aggressive leukaemia, just a few weeks before his third birthday.

In the three years or so since, he has received intensive treatment from the Mercy University Hospital in Cork.

This treatment, which has included around 120 overnight hospital admissions, involves access to the Paediatric Oncology Outreach Nursing Service (POONS), which has ensured the ongoing successful treatment of Dara for his illness - called Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia TCell,

Now Dara’s family want to give back, and a 12 hour indoor cycle challenge in aid of the Mercy Hospital Foundation will take place in Ballincollig GAA Club on Saturday, April 22.

With the support of friends and family, the fundraiser - called Pedal For The POONS: Dara Gives Back - is being organised by Dara’s parents, Coeurena and Noel Kelleher.

Mum Coeurena said: “We are now in the final countdown of treatment, and we want to put the spotlight on the fantastic services available in Cork that we never knew existed before Dara was diagnosed.

“We are so fortunate so many people rowed in behind us.

She added: “I’d like to commend our family GP in the through care he gave us. Our doctor was our first port of call, and he was very pro-active in dealing with Dara’s symptoms and getting things going quickly to get us into the system.

“His efficiency and quick actions gave us reassurance.

“He continues to support us in the background, apart from the wonderful day-to-day care Dara receives from the hospital and the POONS nurses, Olga and Peg.

“We want to fundraise for this brilliant service that made a very hard situation that bit easier,” says Coeurena.

“We have a marvellous committee of people on board who brought their own skill sets, contacts, and expertise in organising the fundraiser.

“The power of people in Cork is amazing! We are so fortunate to live in Cork,” Coeurena adds.

“The POONS nursing service is only available in Cork. We have met many families who have had to travel miles to avail of treatment for their children.”

Coeurena recalls the diagnosis for Dara, who has two brothers, Noah, 10, and Jack, 9.

“Our world was turned upside down in an instant,” she says.

“Fortunately, the enduring support and kindness of so many - family, friends and colleagues, and Ballincollig GAA - was invaluable, and words can never express our gratitude.

“People have been extremely generous and kind, even offering to provide food on the day, and numerous businesses are supporting us too. So now it is our hope to give back by creating this event.”

In 2021, POONS nurses travelled 23,654 kilometres to provide an incredible 550 home visits to families. It costs the Mercy Hospital Foundation €30,000 each year to continue to keep this service mobile.

“POONS provides a unique service that sees the Mercy’s paediatric nurses, Peg and Olga, and their colleagues, come to our home to provide treatment and education, reducing the number of trips to hospital for Dara,” says Coeurena.

“The service allowed Dara to be treated at home.

“Olga and Peg are just incredible. It’s hard to explain how they helped us in every way. Their expertise guided us in seeing the bigger picture as opposed to the here and now.

“They dealt with issues and they provided us with a listening ear whenever we needed it.

“The nurses came to our home during Covid restrictions and did the jobs that needed to be done.”

The POONS service and the support of family, friends and colleagues, along the way, has been exceptional.

“Being involved in the GAA is great too, having our own kids involved. There is a huge team effort behind us,” says Coeurena.

“The POONS service and the ongoing support of so many, has helped family and school life to continue for us all.

“Dara is now a very happy six-year-old who loves playing sport with his brothers, Noah and Jack, and who has made lots of friends.

“The boys will be taking part in football and hurling blitzes during the fundraising day; April 22.”

Dara is a happy chap.

“His fun-loving nature, resilience and determination is remarkable,” says Coeurena.

“Our hope is that in raising money for POONS can continue to support families like ourselves and ease their journey a little.”

POONS, the only service of its kind in Ireland, has provided immeasurable support for the Kelleher family, as well as some of Cork’s youngest patients and their families over the last number of years, with 45 families using the service in 2021 alone.

The staff at the Mercy Hospital provided invaluable support to the Kelleher family.

“The doctors, the nurses, the care assistants, the administration staff, the catering staff, all provided us with compassion and support,” says Coeurena.

She and Noel are both teachers.

“We have fantastic support from our colleagues,” adds Coeurena.

“And the boys’ Gaelscoil as well as Dara’s naínra were very supportive.”

Approaching the finishing line of Dara’s treatment, normal life can finally come back for the family.

“Being treated in a holistic way as well helped us resume normal life after a long journey,” says Coeurena.

“We gained confidence and it was possible for me to go back to work.

“Dara’s journey is not defining us. Life is much more like it was before he was diagnosed.”

Now the Kellehers want to give back.

“We have so much thanks to give; we came up with a new way of fundraising,” says Coeurena.

“The fundraiser is purely for us to give back and to put the spotlight on the fantastic services in Cork.

“Many families in a similar situation may not have heard of POONS. We want to highlight the nurses’ services. We could not explain the value in the way they helped us.”

Coeurena and Noel never expected this huge level of support.

“We looked at a good time to give back and do a fundraiser,” says Coeurena.

“We never expected this amount of support. We really wanted to do something to express our gratitude. It is a good thing to distract us during the time left in Dara’s treatment.

“The fundraiser is something positive for us to channel our energy into. We want to help keep the POONS service going.”

Dara’s mum and dad are doing their bit.

“Noel is one of four people cycling for 12 hours, I hope to cycle for one hour,” says Coeurena.

“There is no competition!”

The fund-raising campaign in Dara’s honour has already raised more than €27,000, and is aiming to surpass the €40,000 mark.

It will see Dara’s dad, Noel, together with Mike McGrath, Danny Dwyer and Pearse O’Malley, take on the gruelling 12 hour cycle from 5am to 5pm, and collectively, between other cyclists, who will join them to do relays and lend their support.

An under-age blitz for girls and boys aged from 8 to 13 will also take place at the club on the day, with lots more exciting additions to the event to be announced.

To donate, visit the website https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/daragivesback, or go along to Ballincollig GAA Club on Saturday, 22nd April.

For more information on POONS visit https://www.mercyhospitalfoundation.ie/appeals/the mercy-kids-teens-appeal/.

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Here’s the difference that funding the POONS nursing service made over just one year;

POONS 2021: 550 home visits were carried out.

23,65km were travelled by the POONS nurses to ensure that patients can receive treatment in the comfort of their own homes regardless of how far from the Mercy they may live.

45 families benefited from home visits through POONS in 2021, saving them up to €85,000.