08 May 2019

The Mercy Hospital Foundation, along with its patients and families are thanking the people of Cork and Munster for the huge difference they make at the hospital each year through their continued support and donations.

Through this continued support, it enables the Mercy Hospital Foundation to fund and support advancements in life saving research, diagnosis and treatments to provide a world class hospital for the people of Cork and Munster. Since 2018, funds of €740,000 have contributed significantly to exciting and important developments.

One of the major developments in 2018, through funds raised, saw the contribution of €59,000 towards a new life saving 3D Minimal Invasive Surgery (MIS), the only integrated 3D MIS system in Ireland. The surgery is used in a number of cancers but importantly bowel cancer, of which Cork has the highest rate in the entire country. The introduction of the 3D MIS system has resulted in a much safer surgery for patients with less pain, reduced recovery time and less time spent in hospital.

For anyone waiting on test results, it can be a very worrying time whether it’s for them or a loved one. Adding long waiting times to the mix certainly adds to this worry. At the Mercy University Hospital, a new state-of-the-art Endoscopic Ultrasound system was introduced in 2018 to help speed up life-saving tests for pancreatic and gastric cancers. A fund of €100,000 was granted by the Mercy Hospital Foundation towards the EUS machine which has enabled 24% more patients to be seen. For the whole of 2018, there was a reduction in cancelations of 100%.

The people of Cork and further afield also helped raise €82,243 for the Mercy’s smallest patients in 2018 through the Mercy Hero's appeal for POONS, the Paediatric Oncology Outreach Nursing Service. The POONS service is the only service of its kind in Ireland which allows children with cancer to receive treatment from the comfort of their own home. Over the course of 2018, the POONS nurses travelled 36,000km around the county of Cork and made 629 house visits, making cancer treatment for sick children that little bit easier.

To continue to provide the best possible treatments and advancements in technology, the Mercy Hospital relies on the people of Cork and Munster for their support. A huge supporter of the Mercy Hospital Foundation is Mary Buckley from Mallow. Mary’s husband John received treatment for pancreatic cancer in 2016 at the Mercy Hospital but sadly lost his life. Mary was so thankful for the support she and her family received during a very difficult time in their lives. Following the death of her husband John, Mary decided to start fundraising for the Mercy Hospital Foundation to enable them to continue to support other patients and families like John and Mary were supported.

Mary echoed the fantastic support of the Mercy which enabled her husband John to return home to be with his family commenting, “The love and support of the Mercy meant so much to us in the darkest of days. The day we left the Mercy, we thought we only had a few days left with John, but he stayed with us for another nine weeks and two days. I fully believe it was the comfort he got from knowing he was home with our family, friends and neighbours that gave us another nine weeks with him before he had to leave us and move on to his new home – as I like to call it.”

Throughout 2019, a key focus of the Mercy Hospital Foundation will be raising funds for St Therese’s Oncology Ward. One in three people will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and the Mercy Hospital Foundation want to do everything in their power to ensure that those who come to the Mercy Hospital for cancer treatment will receive the best possible care.

Mícheál Sheridan, CEO, Mercy Hospital Foundation is hoping the people of Cork and Munster will continue to support the Mercy Hospital on their mission to provide world class treatments and support. Mícheál commented, “Unfortunately, cancer rates are on the rise but so, too, are the number of treatment options. Here at the Mercy Hospital, we want to continue to be at the forefront with the best possible treatments and constantly updating, but this is not possible without the fantastic support of the people of Cork and Munster. Every single cent that a person donates is hugely significant towards the life saving treatments and support we can provide which we value so much.”

If you want to know more about how funds will help or to keep up to date with the latest news and events from the Mercy Hospital Foundation visit www.mercyfundraising.ie or call 021 4223135.