Family ‘overwhelmed’ after €68k raised for brave Grace

AN ONLINE fundraiser for a 10-year-old Kilnamanagh girl who suffered a sudden brain bleed in January and has remained in Temple Street Children’s Hospital ever since has raised over €68,000.

Grace Donegan, who is in fourth class in St Kevin’s Girls’ National School, was practicing with her gymnastics club on January 30 last when she suddenly collapsed and was transported to hospital.

She was initially brought to Children’s Health Ireland Crumlin before being transferred to Temple Street after a brain bleed caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) was discovered.

Doctors believe that Grace was born with AVM, which is a tangle of blood vessels in the brain that disrupts the transportation of oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain.

The condition wasn’t apparent until she collapsed, and she is now on a long road to recovery.

She was in a coma for a week after her recovery and is now awake and cognitive, but has no mobility on her right side and is using a wheelchair.

Friends of the Donegans, Sharon O’Neill, Jennifer Dempsey, Elaine Keogh, and Tanya Sheridan created a GoFundMe for Grace and her family, including her parents Eddie and Linda.

Linda, who is a guidance counsellor in Kingswood Community College, and Eddie have been unable to return to work since Grace fell ill as they prioritise her recovery and are by her side every day.

Their two sons, Evan, 15, and Luke, 13, are being looked after by their grandmother in the family home and it’s expected that the money raised will be used to adapt the home for Grace.

The Donegans have felt the support of the local community since the GoFundMe was set up, with thousands of euro being donated.

Some of the people who have donated include the staff of St Kevin’s Girls’ National School, Kilnamanagh Community Centre, Kilnamanagh Sister Sheds, Kilnamanagh AFC, and St Kevin’s Kilian’s GAA Club.

Sharon O’Neill, who helped to set up the GoFundMe, told The Echo: “Grace’s mammy sent a text out to the clubs thanking them for their support.

“She’s overwhelmed at how much people have supported them through this horrific time.

“It’s made people realise what community is, it’s all about coming together.”

She added: “I think I knew they would get support, but the amount they got has been overwhelming – you don’t expect that.

“I know Kilnamanagh is a fantastic community.

“I grew up here, I got married here, I live in the area, and everyone here looks out for each other.”

Grace continues to receive treatment in Temple Street and still requires a wheelchair, but her friends regularly send her video messages and she got to visit the Leprechaun Museum with them recently.

There is still a long road of recovery ahead of her, but Sharon said there are improvements in her condition every week.

“Grace is doing well and she is recovering,” she said. “But her battle isn’t over yet, because the AVM is still there.

“But she has her voice back, she’s talking, she’s still attending all of her therapy and has a very busy schedule in Temple Street but she’s getting there.”

The money raised has helped to ease some of the pressure on Grace’s family, and means they’ll be well-positioned to adapt the family home when Grace can leave hospital.

“There will have to be a lot of adaptations and improvements for Grace’s needs, and future therapy for her over the next three to five years,” added Sharon.

“She has to get radiation to get rid of the AVM, but that could take five years, so she could be 15 before it’s gone.

“It’s been exactly eight weeks [since Grace collapsed] and it’s been a long, hard eight weeks, but the support has been amazing, and her family has felt every bit of it.”

Donations continue to be accepted on the GoFundMe page for Grace and her family HERE.