Boney Maloney Appeal

BONEY MALONEY APPEAL

A generous donation to the Cappagh Hospital Foundation will ensure that the hospital can help more patients like 77-year-old Kathleen who is now free from a life of debilitating pain.

Hi, I’m Boney Maloney, the new Fundraising Ambassador at Cappagh Hospital Foundation (CHF). It is my mission to raise enough funds so our patients have access to everything they need to be as happy in their bones as me.

I wanted to share Kathleen’s story to show the impact your generosity has on the patients that come through our doors.

Kathleen’s Story

Grandmother of four, Kathleen is 77 years of age and living in Kildare. Kathleen can’t speak highly enough about the care at Cappagh Hospital, and she would know. Kathleen spent over 6-months at Cappagh at the height of the pandemic.

Kathleen was transferred to the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh from another hospital following a fall at home when she was putting coal on the fire and her leg gave way.

When she arrived, she was in a state of delirium caused by an infection. Following an MRI, the team concluded that Kathleen had spinal stenosis and a pelvic fracture. Both incredibly painful injuries.

“It is so hard to describe the pain from my injury because I just felt it everywhere. I was so sick when I arrived that it took 6 weeks to even try to manage the pain”

Pelvic fractures are very painful because you can’t easily fix them. You can’t put screws and bolts in – they just need a lot of time to repair. Kathleen couldn’t walk, lie on her back or her side. She couldn’t sit up. She describes it as “quite impossible”.

Kathleen spent months and months in gruelling physio with limited sleep due to the pain which impacted her mental health. This was compounded by the pandemic. For six months the team at Cappagh were Kathleen’s lifeline. She says that everyone was so caring, honest and helpful and because of the pandemic the care she received meant even more to her.

“The team tried so hard to cheer me up and make life a little bearable. When I wasn’t eating the wonderful ladies in the kitchen made me special soup to build my strength up and one of the rehab team even dyed my hair which has always been my pride and joy”. 

It was a long road but 2 years on and Kathleen is back to her old self and is enjoying life with her family.

 “Last year I booked a hotel with my niece and we went shopping. What I do and love best! I spent a fortune but to be able to do it after such a long recovery was joyous. I was happy out. I’ve been given back my independence. The only thing I can’t do is go back to my ballroom dancing.”

Kathleen wanted to share her story so that the generous supporters of the Cappagh Hospital Foundation and the NOHC understand the real and tangible difference donations make to people like her.

 HOW YOUR SUPPORT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The NOHC has identified some important priorities for 2024 that fall outside of HSE funding but that will enhance patient care.

PLEASE DONATE TODAY. WOULD LOVE THE BONES OF YE!

Boney Maloney 

Your generosity makes a difference:

€55 could help with a €30,000 upgrade of patient TV units in wards across the hospital

€110 could contribute to a new Tranquility Garden, a calming place for rehab patients like Kathleen, to relax and recuperate

€500 can help the longer-term purchase of a €1.1 million Excelsius GPS Robot Navigation System for Paediatric Services

“The work the staff do at Cappagh is vital to give people like me their lives back. It is like a family. From the cleaners to the CEO, everyone knows who you are, and they genuinely care. I’ve nothing but the highest praise for the team. The standards are so exceptionally high, and it shows in everything they do”. Kathleen

Kathleen’s story is just one of over 30,000 stories that come out of NOHC each year. Please if you can, donate to the Cappagh Hospital Foundation today. Any donation big or small will help people like Kathleen live their best lives.

Keep an eye out for Boney Maloney around the Hospital. You can tap him to donate or he is happy to pose for a selfie with you! Share your pictures at #CappaghHospitalFoundation