Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon – Run for St Luke’s Hospital

THE cancer care charity The Friends of St Luke’s are preparing to open a section for children and young people undergoing cancer treatment at St Luke’s Hospital in Rathgar, and are looking for people to run in this year’s Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon to raise funds for them writes Aideen O’Flaherty.

The Friends of St Luke’s provide support for St Luke’s radiology departments in Rathgar, Beaumont and St James’s Hospital.

This year the charity has built the new space, which includes a play and recovery space for children, and a ‘chill out’ area with an Xbox for teenagers, after seeing a need for children accessing cancer services in St Luke’s Hospital to have their own child-friendly space.

The new space also includes a dedicated toy area for children to play in, and also a kitchenette where parents can heat up bottles for their children.

“St Luke’s is the only paediatrics radiotherapy centre in Ireland,” Fiona Campbell from The Friends of St Luke’s told The Echo.

“Because it’s an adults’ hospital, the children need an area away from the adults.”

Ms Campbell added that the children who receive treatment in St Luke’s are usually there for a number of hours, and are brought over from Crumlin Children’s Hospital for treatment.

The new unit is set to open shortly, and Ms Campbell said that the children and their parents think that it’s “brilliant, they can’t wait for it”.

To support The Friends of St Luke’s in the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon contact Ger on 01 406 5314 or email fundraising@slh.ie