Pauline Cullen and Brendan Maher

Hi my name is Sharyn O’ Brien and I am fundraising for my best mate Pauline and her partner Brendan Maher.

Pauline and Brendan are just the most beautiful couple whose two sons, Ruairi aged three and Fiach aged 6 months, both have Down Syndrome. Both Pauline and Brendan always try to see the sunny side of life and try to remain positive with the life path they have been given, but life has become extremely stressful for them since their second son Fiach was born, emotionally, physically and financially.

Fiach who is now six months old has been in Crumlin Children’s hospital for the past 4 months. He is such a warrior and has overcome many medical complications including open heart surgery, a collapsed lung, pneumonia, e-coli, urinary sepsis, dialysis and respiratory complications. He was on life support assistance for 63 days and has recently started to find his strength and continues to be the warrior child he is! Pauline and Brendan have alternatively sat alongside Fiach’s cot bed in hospital on a 24/7 vigil ensuring he is surrounded by love and strength.

On alternative days, they swap over hospital shifts with Fiach, and return home to their eldest son Ruairi, who is nearly three and also has Down Syndrome. Unfortunately both boys have cardiac conditions, Fiach being more problematic, along with severe and long term feeding issues which renders both of them to be tube fed. Fiach is also on a CPAP machine at night to help maintain his airway as he can’t do it alone.

All of this has required Brendan to quit his job to take over as full time carer and Pauline has had to reduce her hours to help manage the cumbersome daily workload of their son’s care. Coupled with this are the many weekly and monthly appointments with the various teams in the hospitals, disability centres and primary care centres and the need to pay privately,as waiting lists are years long.

It is estimated that the average cost of having a child with special needs on a household is about €24,000 to €26,000 extra per year so any support they receive, I know they would be extremely grateful.

I am setting up this gofundme on behalf of Pauline and Brendan to help them financially as they adjust to a future of long term medical care, hospital visits, speech and occupational therapy for their two warrior sons! It would be amazing to help relieve them of some of the financial stress they are faced with as they embrace life’s future journey together.

Thank you