PUBLIC ASKED TO ‘BUILD IT FOR LIAM’

9 December 2011 No Comments by The Northern Standard

By Cianna McNally

A BENEFIT night has been organised as part of a fundraiser for a local child who suffers from a debilitating genetic illness.
Four-year-old Liam Hagan from Threemilehouse suffers from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) which leaves his skin paper-thin and causes it to break and blister at the slightest touch.
Each EB sufferer has their own unique type of the condition and Liam’s is quite severe – he requires constant medical care with regular bandage changes.
It affects every aspect of his life and that of his mother Grainne.
Liam also suffers internally and because of this he has problems with eating.
His body is in a permanent state of repair and therefore he needs as much nutrition as possible.
As Liam gets older the EB will cause even more damage to his body, and there is a possibility that in the future he may need to be in a wheelchair and fed through a tube into his stomach at night.
However, sadly these aren’t Grainne’s only worries, as with all parents who have a child with severe EB, there is always the threat of skin cancer which can strike from their late teenage years due to the constant breaking down of their fragile skin.
The ‘Build it for Liam’ campaign is hoping to raise over €30,000 to build Liam a bedroom and medical area that will be fully adapted to meet his medical needs.
Work has already begun on the build as along with a bedroom (which he wants decorated with Lightning McQueen, from the cartoon film ‘Cars’), there will also be a specially adapted bath put in place as Liam needs to be bathed to remove his bandages when they are being changed.
The room will be fully wheelchair adaptable and will allow space for any other cumbersome equipment that he will need as he gets older.
There will also be a padded area outside of his bedroom with special soft covering that will enable him to go outside and play safely. Monaghan County Council has already generously donated €28,000 to the ‘Build it for Liam’ campaign.
This initiative is being driven by the Hagan family and the DEBRA Ireland charity.
The family, the community of Threemilehouse and the town of Monaghan showed incredible generosity in 2008 when they raised almost €40,000 for DEBRA Ireland which helped the charity to expand its patient support service which the Hagan family now uses.
DEBRA Ireland has a fulltime Patient Support Worker who visits families in their own home and offers them practical and emotional support while also being the link between the patients, the charity and the two EB Specialist Clinics in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and St James Hospital, Dublin.
The benefit night in aid of the ‘Build it for Liam’ campaign will be held in Threemilehouse Complex on Friday, 16th December.
Tickets are priced at only €10 and music on the night will be provided by the Hughes Brothers.
The tickets are available from a number of locations – Open All Hours, North Road, Monaghan, McEntee’s Shop, Threemilehouse, Lynch’s Convenience Store and The Country Store, Corcaghan.
Anybody wishing to make a donation to the campaign can do so by making a lodgement to the following account:
Build It For Liam – DEBRA Ireland
Account: 03800009
Sort Code: 93-10-98
AIB, 9 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6
Alternatively, people can donate online by logging on to http://www.mycharity.ie/event/build-it-for-liam.

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