ON a Limerick-based charity’s website, there is a picture of a little girl. She’s looking directly at the camera, with a gentle smile, a beaded bobbin in her hair and eyes that would reach into your soul.
That is Cliona, the inspiration behind Cliona’s Foundation. She left this world aged 16 to join her fellow angels in 2006, following a battle with cancer which lasted eight years.
The experiences her family had, both their own and meeting other parents on the same road with a seriously ill child, formed the impetus for Cliona’s Foundation, to help families with the financial bombardment that comes with a child’s illness.
“She taught myself and her mother, Terry, so much. She made us the people we are now,” Brendan Ring, Cliona’s father and co-founder of the organisation told the Limerick Post.
“Every parent who is told that their child has a serious illness thinks first about their child and doing everything they can to support that child.
“But what people don’t see that is hugely challenging for families, are the expenses that come with that. In our case, Terry gave up work immediately Cliona was diagnosed. For about 80 per cent of the families we support, that is the case. Suddenly, two incomes become one but the mortgage still has to be paid. The bills still come in. Even the cost of car-parking is huge when you have to attend appointments and treatments. And it can go on for years,” said Brendan.
Studies show that having a seriously ill child costs €15,300 a year in accommodation for family members for long stretches while a child is being treated, travel, child minding for siblings, and a host of smaller costs that all add up. The big cost often being a complete loss of income to enable parents be by their child’s side.
Brendan tells of one father he met while in Crumlin hospital who had to borrow money to bring his seriously ill baby to Dublin on the train.
One woman who was helped by the foundation wanted her child home for his final days and needed to have him flown because he was too ill to travel by road.
“This is something which could happen to any of us,” said Brendan.
“There are currently 4,000 children with life-limiting illnesses in the country. 400 of them die each year and 400 more are diagnosed. So it’s a constant figure.”
Cliona’s Foundation hopes to support 200 of these families through the coming year, at a cost of €500,000.
The foundation helps with non-medical expenses but being completely dependant on donations and fundraising, at present they can offer each family just €2,500 towards their mounting bills.
“We’ve had discussions with various people in Government because we don’t get funding of that sort. We’ve been asking them to match what we give, which I think is fair,” Brendan says.
Since being set up in 2008, the foundation has raised more than €4.5million and helped 1,700 families.
Now, Cliona’s Foundation and Bluebird Care Ireland have launched a new partnership effort aimed at raising awareness and strengthening support for families navigating childhood illness.
“Bluebird Care has people going into homes where there are very sick children. They understand and can help to spread the word about what we do,” said Brendan.
“There are a lot of big corporations who have donation programmes and we hope they would consider supporting us.”
Speaking about the child who started it all, Brendan says Cliona was “absolutely gorgeous. She loved telling jokes and she really cared about people.”
“When she got out of hospital after any treatment she would get in contact with other kids she had met there, concerned about how they were doing even though she was so ill herself.
“There was something about her and I see it in other very sick children – they leave an incredible mark. I really believe Cliona was meant to inspire us to help other families.”
Details of how to donate, fundraise, or ask for assistance can be found on the Cliona’s Foundation website, clionas.ie.