On Christmas Eve 2023, after a couple of emergency CT scans in University Hospital Galway, Vince was urgently ambulanced to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. A suspicious significant brain mass had shown up on the CT.

Christmas Day morning Vince joined us via Whatsapp from Beaumont, for our traditional family opening of the presents, with myself and our three children Oisín, Síofra and Naoise. We also sang Naoise, our Christmas baby, a happy 20th birthday and I left for Beaumont.

On the 27th December, Vince had his operation to take a biopsy, with hope of as much debulking of the tumour as possible. Tenlong worrying /agonizing days later, whilst always keeping positive, we got the call with the devasting news from Beaumont Hospital. Vinnie has a high grade malignant Glioblastoma brain tumour - treatable but not curable.

Our life turned upside down.

We are keeping positive but also have been very busy at home getting the house as ready as much as possible before his release home this week coming.

The week has been an information receiving overload, reacting to all this new information and getting things sorted and put in place as best possible.Only 30% of a 'significant ' tumour was taken and no further operations can be done. Because of where it was positioned there were risks.

Vince has lost vision in the right side of both his eyes, his mobility is affected and also his receptive language and ability to read and text.

All of you who know Vince, will know, he was an outdoor hill walking, sea dipping, polytunnel gardening, Madra dog charity worker, wood gathering type of guy. He kept the fire lit here at our beautiful mountainside family home.

With all of the above, have come drastic /significant changes. Whilst we can adapt our home as best we can we want to build a beautiful space - "a room with a view for Vinnie - come hail rain or shine. A space that he and we as a family can enjoy with him. To be accessible, comfortable and safe for him to continue to enjoy the beauty outside beside our very small cottage.

We always capture sunsets, watch the rain coming in from the Atlantic (and with the kids guesstimate how long the clouds would take to get to us). When friends suggested a crowd funder to help, Vince smiled when I told him about it and he loves the idea. He knows all the positivity is around him and us as a family. With hundreds of messages of support and offers of help we hope you can help make this happen for Vinnie.

We are looking to build a small sunroom where we can look out over the sea and keep Vince company in the months ahead. We have had so many offers to help design and build this accessible sunroom and now need some help to fund the materials and costs to make it happen. With time of the essence we are looking for some help to make this happen and hope that you can offer a donation to support us on our mission to build Vinnie a room with a view.

Please keep your positive thoughts and wishes coming and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Le grá

Vince, Bridge, Oisín, Síofra and Naoise xx

Ar Oíche Nollag 2023, tar éis cúpla scan CT in Ospidéal na hOllscoile Gaillimh, cuireadh Vince ar otharcharr lena thabhairt faoi dheifir go hOspidéal Beaumont i mBaile Átha Cliath. Facas mais inchinn shuntasach ar an CT a raibh amhras mhór faoi.

Ar maidin Lá Nollag bhí Vince linn via Whatsapp ó Beaumont, le haghaidh oscailt na mbronntanas Nollag, mar a rinne muid ariamh lenár dtriúr leanaí Oisín, Síofra agus Naoise. Rinne muid ceiliúradh freisin ar bhreithlá Naoise, ár bpáistín Nollag, a bhí 20 bliain d’aois, sular thug mé fhéin aghaidh ar Ospidéal Beaumont.

Ar an 27ú Nollaig, cuireadh obráid ar Vince chun bithóipse a ghlacadh, le súil go maolfadh an meall chomh mór agus ab fhéidir, ach tar éis fanacht 10 lá fuair muid an drochscéal go bhfuil meall inchinn urchóideach Glioblastoma ag Vinnie - is féidir é a maolú, ach níl aon leigheas i ndán dó.

Tá ár saol bun os cionn ó shoin.

Táimid dearfach ach freisin táimid an-ghnóthach sa bhaile ag réiteach an tí chomh maith agus is féidir sula scaoilfear abhaile é an tseachtain seo chugainn.

Seachtain í seo a bhfuil an oiread sin eolais ag teacht sa mullach orainn, sinn ag iarraidh é ar fad a thuiscint agus a bheith ag ullmhú lena bhfuil á fháil amach againn. Níl ach 30% den mheall tógtha amach, agus ní féidir aon obráid eile a dhéanamh air mar gheall gur contúirt aon ghearradh eile a dhéanamh san áit a bhfuil an meall.

Tá a radharc caillte ag Vince ar thaobh na láimhe deise den dá shúil, tá go leor dhá chuid gluaiseachta caillte aige, chomh maith lena chuid cainte, agus a chumas léitheoireachta.

Beidh a fhios ag gach duine agaibh a bhfuil aithne acu ar Vince, gur fear siúl na gcnoc é, gur fear é a chaithfeadh i bhfarraige é fhéin, fear garraíodóireachta, oibrí carthanachta le Madra, fear a bhailigh adhmaid agus a choinnigh an tine ar lasadh inár dteach álainn cois sléibhe.

Tá athruithe ollmhóra tagtha ar an saol de bharr gach a bhfuil insithe anseo thuas. Táimid ag iarraidh ár dteach a chur in oiriúint chomh maith agus is féidir dhó agus ba mhaith linn spás álainn a thógáil – ‘seomra le radharc do Vinnie’ – bíodh sé ina bháisteach nó ag scaladh gréine. Spás ar féidir leis agus linne taitneamh a bhaint as fad is muid fós in éindí, áit atá éasca, compórdach agus sábháilte dó, chun taitneamh a bhaint as an áilleacht atá amach ón teachín beag sin againne.

Bronntar luí na gréine anseo orainn, feiceann muid an bháisteach ag teacht isteach ón Atlantach (agus na gasúir ag tabhairt buile faoi thuairm faoi cé chomh fada agus a thógfadh na scamaill sin breith orainn). Nuair a mhol cairde feachtas ‘crowdfunding’, rinne Vince gáire nuair a d'inis mé dó faoi agus thaithin an smaoineamh go mór leis. Tá a fhios aige go bhfuil an saol atá ina thimpeall, agus i dtimpeall a theaghlach lán le dearfacht agus le grá. Leis na céadta teachtaireachtaí tacaíochta agus tairiscintí cabhrach, tá súil againn gur féidir leat cabhrú leis seo a dhéanamh do Vinnie.

Táimid ag iarraidh seomra gréine beag a thógáil inar féidir linn breathnú amach ar an bhfarraige agus comhluadar a choinneáil le Vince sna míonna amach romhainn. Tá an oiread sin tairiscintí faighte againn chun cabhrú leis an seomra gréine seo a dhearadh agus a thógáil, ach tá cúnamh anois uainn chun na hábhair agus na costais a íoc chun é a chur i gcrích. Ós rud é go bhfuil an t-am a bheith ag rith gann orainn, tá bhur gcúnamh ag teastáil chun é seo a dhéanamh agus tá súil againn gur féidir leat síntiús a thabhairt chun tacú linn seomra Vinnie a thógáil.

Is mór againn bhur ngrá agus bhur dtacaíocht, agus gabhaimid buíochas ó chroí libh ar fad.

Bridge, Vinnie, Oisín, Síofra agus Naoise x

A Room with a View for Vinnie

Bridge Barker

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