My name is Fiona Holmes, and I am the Director of the McAleer Irish Dance School in Melbourne, Australia.

One of our National Champion dancers, 19-year-old Maeve Wilkinson, recently travelled to Chicago with her mum, Lou, to compete at the 2026 World Irish Dancing Championships.

Maeve achieved an incredible 25th place in the world — a result she and Lou were so proud of.

They were looking forward to a few days of downtime before returning home to Australia on Monday, April 6th.

Tragically, on Saturday, April 4th, everything changed.

Lou became suddenly and critically unwell. Maeve grew increasingly concerned and, in an incredibly brave and decisive moment, called 911 — a decision that has saved her mum’s life.

Lou was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with an intracranial hematoma, or bleed on the brain. She underwent emergency surgery, which was successful. However, she remains in a very delicate condition in ICU. She is being closely monitored by neurosurgeons, with ongoing concern around post-operative swelling that may require further surgery.

Maeve has been by her mum’s side every step of the way. Despite everything, Lou has been able to respond by squeezing Maeve’s hand — a small but powerful sign of Lou's strength.

Maeve will now remain in the USA for the foreseeable future to support her mum through this critical recovery period, which is expected to take weeks.

We are asking for your support to help ease the immense financial pressure this situation has placed on the Wilkinson family. Funds raised will go towards:

Our thoughts are with Dom, Flynn, Maeve and Tully as they navigate this heartbreaking situation while being separated by distance.

If you are in a position to help, any contribution, big or small, will make a meaningful difference.

Please consider donating and sharing this page to help us wrap our community around the Wilkinson family.

With heartfelt thanks,

Fiona Holmes x