Former Irish President shows support for new children's hospice in Mayo

Co-Patrons of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, Professor Mary McAleese and Cathal Hughes, have pledged their support to The Sunflower Children’s Hospice, a state-of-the-art facility, funded by Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. It will provide essential care for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families across eight counties on the Western seaboard. This marks a significant milestone as it’s the first children's hospice to be built outside of Dublin, and the first of its kind to be constructed since 2011.

Mayo native Cathal Hughes, one of the original founders of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, served as Chairperson during the pivotal years following the Foundation’s establishment in 1993.

Former President and Professor Mary McAleese, who lives in Roscommon, has been a Patron of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation since 2018.

With an overall project estimated cost of between €12m and €14 million, the Foundation has launched a campaign to raise €7 million over the next year to ensure construction can commence in 2026. The in-patient and respite facility is expected to be completed in approximately two years. A site has already been secured in Castlebar, with the Government and HSE committed to supporting clinical governance. 

Professor Mary Mc Aleese said: “The Sunflower Children's Hospice is so needed, so wanted and it's going to make children’s lives and family lives profoundly different. It will take significant fundraising to bring it to life, but it will happen - with the help of our communities. By donating to Hospice.ie, you will make such a meaningful impact on people’s lives.”

Cathal Hughes said: “This is one of the greatest initiatives that the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation has undertaken. It is long overdue and urgently needed. While end-of-life care touches every family at some stage, seeing a child at end-of-life is especially heartbreaking. They deserve the very best specialist care, 24/7. We need everyone to get behind this fundraising effort. Every penny will go towards the building of The Sunflower Children’s Hospice for the children of the Western Seaboard.”

For over 32 years, Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation has been dedicated to providing palliative care services to people with life limiting illnesses and their families in County Mayo and County Roscommon. The Palliative Care Teams have supported more than 25,000 patients and their families to date. Both Mayo Hospice and Roscommon Hospice were developed and paid for by fundraised income (a combined €15.3 million) and are a result of the great support received from the people of Mayo and Roscommon.

Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation CEO Martina Jennings said: “We are so grateful to Mary McAleese and Cathal Hughes for their unwavering support over the years and now for The Sunflower Children’s Hospice. Our goal is to ensure that children with life limiting illnesses and their families, on the Western Seaboard, get the very best of care throughout their journey from diagnosis to end of life. Their care should not be defined by where they are born. 

To meet this critical need, we must raise €7 million over the next year to build  Sunflower Children’s Hospice. We did it before for Mayo and Roscommon Hospices, and with our incredible communities, we will do it again. Every contribution, no matter the size, will go directly towards creating a hospice that will provide much-needed care and support.”

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