A couple in the west of Ireland who lost their only child to cancer, have welcomed the announcement of €7.5 million in government funding for a therapeutic centre in Mayo, for children with cancer and their families.
Building will begin on Daisy Lodge in Cong, Co Mayo, which will welcome families from across the island of Ireland for free respite and short breaks.
Brian Higginbotham and Lisa Chambers fundraised for Daisy Lodge in memory of their little boy, Myles, who passed away on 2 December 2019 when he was four years old.
Lisa, who is from Newport in Mayo, posted this message on the third anniversary of his death.
"To honour his anniversary, I was so proud to present Cancer Fund for Children a cheque for over €156k with monies still coming in. We never got to Daisy Lodge, but hopefully this money raised will help build the much needed Lodge in the West of Ireland to make sure other families on this island get to enjoy a nurturing and holistic experience in the sanctuary that is Daisy Lodge."
The couple ended up raising €213,000 for Daisy Lodge.
Brian is from Salthill in Co Galway, and the money was raised through his local Trends Golf Society at Galway Golf Club. He said it gave him a focus following the devastating loss.
"Every year the annual fundraiser is a huge success but 2022 was just phenomenal. I put my heart and soul into the special event as it was in memory of my little boy Myles and everything went according to plan ... even the weather".
Irish rugby legend Rory Best raised over €1 million on his recent 'Miles to Mayo' challenge. The former Irish international walked over 300km from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to the site of Daisy Lodge in the village of Cong on the shores of Lough Corrib.
He wanted to see the Daisy Lodge model in Co Down replicated in the west of Ireland.
"Short breaks at Daisy Lodge provide children with cancer, a space to rest, time with their families and the opportunity to build connections with others their own age who are going through the same thing. They get to be treated like the stars they are and that's why I’ve gone the distance to help bring a therapeutic facility like this to Co Mayo," he said.
The Cancer Fund for Children has welcomed the announcement of €7.5m to build the second Daisy Lodge, which will complement the existing service provided in Newcastle, Co Down, which supports up to 1,800 family members a year.
The second centre in Mayo will double this number to 4,000 per year.
Cancer Fund for Children CEO Phil Alexander said: "Therapeutic short breaks at Daisy Lodge provide a safe, restorative space where children with cancer, their siblings and parents can reconnect, spend quality time together, meet other families and benefit from the support of our dedicated therapeutic team.
"A second Daisy Lodge will be transformational in helping to ensure every family impacted by childhood cancer can access our support."
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly approved €5m in capital funding and €2.5m was approved from the Shared Island Fund.
The minister said the centre would provide a vital service based in the West of Ireland for children with cancer and their families. Children will be referred to the centre by a team of cancer support specialists.
"Our National Cancer Strategy recognises the important role played by the voluntary and charity sector in providing cancer support services.
"Cancer Fund for Children already have strong links across this voluntary and community sector, including dedicated cancer centres and have formalised links with the National Children’s Cancer Service in Crumlin, to ensure a dedicated referral pathway to services like Daisy Lodge," he said.
