When someone in your family is gravely ill and in hospital, driving up and down to the hospital or finding somewhere to stay might not be an option and for many people, this is how Bru Columbanus in Cork is a lifeline.
Bru Columbanus provides accommodation free of charge to the relatives of seriously ill patients in Cork hospitals and the hospice, particularly relatives of sick children.
On June 19, Kilbehenny Cycling Club are calling on cyclists to join them in a fundraising cycling Tour of the Galtees to raise funds for the charity.
Since Bru Columbanus opened their doors in Wilton, just across the road from CUH in 2005, they have accommodated 6,200 families.
They are a small independent charity, completely reliant on donations and fundraising initiatives to cover the running costs of the house.
Events manager Anne-Maria O’Connor explained that support for fundraisers like the Kilbehenny club’s cycle are what keeps their doors open.
“Guests have their own private en suite rooms and then there is a shared kitchen where they tend to go to chat to others and they can come and go as they please while visiting their loved one in hospital,” Anne-Maria explained.
She added that people could be staying with them for any amount of time from a week to six months and that people would often get in touch afterwards to let them know how much the service meant to them in their time of need, while many families would fundraise for the house after they have left.
Charlene and George Wiley from Mitchelstown were so excited to be welcoming their first child into the world just over a year ago, but little Odhran was born seven weeks premature and was struck down with meningitis when he was just a few days old.
“It was literally terrifying, we didn’t know if Odhran would live and being able to stay in Bru Columbanus, so close to the hospital, made all the difference,” Charlene told The Avondhu.
She added that it really was like a home from home and it helped to bring a little bit of normality into what was otherwise a very difficult and stressful time.
Odhran is now a strong and healthy little boy and Charlene said that they are so grateful to everyone in CUMH and Bru Columbanus.
On April 18, 2014, the lives of the O’Kelly family from Glenroe were turned upside down when Gerard O’Kelly suffered a stroke at just 46 years of age.
Gerard’s wife Hannah spoke to The Avondhu about how she stayed in Bru Columbanus for five weeks while her husband was in CUH. She said that being so close to the hospital and having some place where she had her own space, but could also prepare meals and chat to other relatives, was something that made a real difference to her.
Without Bru Columbanus, Hannah would have been driving from South Limerick to Cork every day and she wouldn’t have been near her husband in case anything had happened.
Chairperson of Kilbehenny Cycling Club, Mary Creed told The Avondhu they are delighted to support such a worthy charity with the club’s annual fundraiser.
“I hope that people will support the cycle, because Bru Columbanus means so much to families who are in need of somewhere to stay when their loved one is in hospital. It has been used by many families from across the local area and it is a small comfort to people in their time of need,” Mary told The Avondhu.
All cycling enthusiasts and novices are called on to join Kilbehenny Cycling Club on June 19 for their Tour of the Galtees fundraising cycle.
Registration takes place from 8am on the day in Kilbehenny Community Centre, with a 125km tour of the Galtees starting at 9am which includes the Christ the King and Ballintubber climbs, a 60km tour of the Galtee-Vee Valley at 9.30am and a 15km family cycle starting at 11am.
