Paediatric Department Faro

Why I am running the VHI Mini Marathon and Raising Funds for the Paediatric Department in Faro….

In April 2025, our 5-month-old boy Ruairí required urgent medical care in the Paediatric department of Faro hospital. Ruairí was suffering from a common virus, which unfortunately got into the central nervous system and began attacking the brain causing seizures.

The official diagnosis of viral encephalitis was made. Ruairí received incredible care while at the hospital. In the span of a week he had a CT scan, 2 EEGs, an MRI, 2 lumbar punctures among other tests conducted. Thanks to the doctors and care team in Faro Hospital after 31 days, Ruairí is back with us all in Ireland and continuing life as normal.

From the moment we arrived, we witnessed a level of care, urgency, and compassion that we will never forget. Doctors and nurses responded without hesitation, calling in specialists, working late into the night, and performing difficult procedures with steady hands and kind hearts. They acted fast, they communicated clearly, and above all—they cared deeply.

Over the initial days, they monitored him around the clock and placed his well-being above all else, despite limited resources. They were patient with us as non-Portuguese speaking parents and took the time to explain everything as clearly as possible.

We will never forget the security personnel who asked how he was every day greeting us with a comforting smile, the care assistants for smiling at him making him laugh and singing to him. The nursing team who gave him such attentive care, as well as the surgeons and consultants who came again and again to check in and explain every detail of his care with patience and understanding. We never felt rushed, and we never felt that he wasn’t anything but top priority.

This department is under strain like so many others. They don’t always have the best equipment or enough staff, but their commitment and skill are second to none. What they accomplished for Ruairí was nothing short of heroic—and now we want to give something back.

We are raising funds for the Paediatric Department at Faro Hospital so they can continue their amazing work,

These funds will help provide:

• Updated medical equipment for emergency response

• Support for ongoing staff training and specialist consultations

• Child-friendly resources and recovery spaces for families in crisis

• Supplies and essentials for the children who pass through their care every day

I am running the VHI mini marathon on June 1st in Dublin in to help raise funds and to say thank you to a wonderful team of healthcare professionals. We owe them more than words can say. We hope these funds can be a small token of our appreciation of their daily heroic efforts.