Pals of Limerick man with life-limiting illnesses rally round to raise funds for home upgrade
FRIENDS of a Limerick man who has two life-limiting conditions have rallied around the family who are facing an enormous bill to upgrade their home.
Lisnagry man Kieran O’Shea, 47, has received the devastating dual diagnosis of motor neurone disease and frontotemporal dementia.
Put together, it causes deteriorating in a person’s behaviour, personality and memory.
As a result of this, Kieran’s wife Colette – who was named Ireland’s carer of the year – has encountered huge financial hurdles with their house needing to be adapted to suit her husband’s deteriorating health.
Off the back of this, a group of local people including Lisnagry National School principal Michael Feeney started an online appeal in a bid to raise the €300,000 needed for the home upgrades.
In just a week, €100,000 has been secured, leaving Colette “beyond grateful and blown away”.
To donate, click here or please visit or contact Colette at 083-3704590.
“This means the world to my family, and I, more than you’ll ever know. You have given us all back the sense of hope in our life,” the mum-of-three said in a message to those who have donated.
Having inherited the family home from her late mother and father, there were always small jobs which Kieran and Colette needed to keep on top of.
But since Kieran is increasingly unable to handle basic jobs, the house has fallen into major disrepair.
The roof needs replacing, the drains need major work, while rooms need to be adapted for Kieran to live in comfort.
“Everything was catching everything else out,” Colette admitted, “You could probably knock the house and build a new one for cheaper than this.”