Community rallies around 12 months after tragedy

Community rallies around 12 months after tragedy

28 November 2012

CHRISTMAS will be a particularly difficult time for the Cullen family. It was on Christmas morning last year that their baby daughter Olivia was rushed into hospital and sadly never made it home. After a lengthy stay the 18 month-old passed away, having fought a number of illnesses in her short life.

But despite their pain, her parents Emma and Philip have been determined that Olivia should not die in vain, and after a major fundraising effort have raised a total of £20,000 for the Children’s Heartbeat Trust — one of several charities fundraising for the Children’s MRI Scanner Appeal.

Olivia had lengthy waits for the use of an adult scanner at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children when she was rushed into hospital last December — the only hospital of its kind in the UK or Ireland without its own MRI scanner. And while quicker scans would not have saved Olivia, it would have lessened the family’s trauma.

Olivia had a rare chromosomal condition (HMG-CoA synthase deficiency), which meant her body did not respond as it should when she contracted the norovirus last Christmas, instead going into a metabolic crisis.

Seriously ill children attending the Royal have to wait to use the adult scanner and some have to travel to England to do so, such is the demand. The delay also results in more invasive tests being carried out.

Speaking as they handed over their last cheque to the Children’s Heartbeat Trust at the weekend, the Downpatrick family thanked everyone who had attended a series of local fundraising events, including the special Olivia Cullen Memorial Tournament at Downpatrick Golf Club in August, and gave their services for free.

“I never thought we would raise so much,” said Emma, explaining that table tennis tournaments, football tournaments, abseils and entertainment evenings, were just some of the ways local people helped to raise money. “We’re delighted. We just want to thank everyone who has supported us over this last year.”

The Cullen family also hope over the next four to five years to help raise money for some of the charities who helped them during Olivia’s stay in hospital.

“There were so many who helped us,” Emma explained. “For example, Barnardos gave us home heating oil, the Downpatrick Lions raised money. So we want to do something for them.”

With the next priority being Christmas for their son Eoin, Emma said they hoped to have a happy Christmas, explaining that every day was difficult in its own way.

“It was Olivia’s birthday last week and we got through the day,” she said. “We took it easy and spent the day together as a family.

“It will not matter what day of the year it is, but it will probably be more poignant. Eoin is four and we need to think of him and make it as normal a Christmas as we can.”

Fundraising in Olivia’s name has been their “wee light” and the Cullen family hope to see the MRI scanner they have helped so hard to fund up and running in the Royal by April 2014.

“They have £1.6m and will hopefully raise the £2m needed by the end of March,” said Emma, who herself is a nurse at the Downe Hospital, where she has recently been made Bed Manager.

“At the recent ‘Royal Does Strictly’ fundraiser in Belfast Edwin Poots (Health Minister) also said he was setting aside £2.7m every year to house the scanner and staff it.”

Strong in her grief, and always with a smile on her face as she fundraises, Emma said they were also comforted by the fact that Olivia, who suffered brain damage during her illness, would have had a poor quality of life had she survived.

“It has helped us to move on,” she explained. “When I think of what she went through, she really suffered terribly in the last five months. At least she got a bit of enjoyment out of life before all that. And she really gave it her all.

“We will never forget her, though. Our hearts are broken every day. There are bitter sweet memories. There will always be bitter sweet memories.”

Further details of the scanner appeal being supported by the Cullen family can be found online at http://www.mriscannerappeal.org/