A charity tractor run and dyno day, which took place at GVM Mart Kilmallock, Co Limerick, on Sunday, August 20th, 2023, has raised €3,000 for Mary T Walsh Sexton’s ongoing care, house modifications and medical expenses.
In late 2022, the married mother-of-three from Co Limerick, who initially hails from an agricultural background, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, with the need for life-long use of oxygen 24/7 and a very poor lung function in both lungs.
The family, (husband, Gerard, sons, Ciaran and Darragh and Aishling), has established a GoFundMe page, with a fundraising target of €30,000.
Mary T Walsh Sexton
On the page, her daughter, Aishling writes:
“Our lovely mother who even after having all her vaccines and cocooning at home, on top of her own prior illness that she had already, ended up getting Covid-19.”
“Soon after Halloween in 2021, she ended up in University Hospital Limerick, where she was put into an induced coma and also put on a ventilator for several months as her lungs went into lung failure.”
“On top of all this, she had double pneumonia and a blood clot in the lungs. She was in such a critical condition we did not know what was going to happen or if she was going to make it.”
“We were called into the ICU ward at least 3 times to say goodbye to her, which was very hard to be told by doctors that she would not survive.”
Despite the severity of her condition, she had “shocked absolutely everyone”, including the medics, with the “phenomenal” progress she had made.
Double lung transplant
After five months in Limerick Regional Hospital at the end of March/April 2022, she was moved to rehabilitation at St Camillus Hospital Limerick.
Here, she had to re-learn all her motor skills, but with the care and support from all staff in both hospitals, she returned home at the end of June 2022, where she has remained for over a year now.
According to her family, “there is no cure or treatment other than a double lung transplant for mam in Dublin”.
“We do not know if she will be lucky enough to get a lung transplant as there is a long process involved before she gets to that point, but we are praying and hoping she will,” her daughter said.
“I know many people have been asking how they could help us. Well, this is how. We would really appreciate it if you could spare as little or as much as you can donate.”
Appreciation
Speaking following the fundraising event, the family said:
“We would like to firstly thank GVM Kilmallock for donating the use of the yard and facilities.”
“Thank you to James O’Connor, Pascal Fenton, who are part of the Charleville vintage club for helping organise.”
“Thank you to Noel and Kit O’Halloran for catering and Helen Walsh O’Reilly, Marie Moore, and Samuel Moore for helping out on the day.”
“Also, thank you to Morris O Connor and friends for helping out with the safety and officiating as stewards. Thank you to Bernard and Conor Cleary for helping out on the day and to Darragh Lynch, who took photos and videos on the day.
“Lastly, thank you so much to everyone who participated in the run and donated on the day and everyone who has supported, helped, and donated.”
“Honestly, we cannot put into words how much this means to us,” they concluded.
