Trim man wins National Carer of the Year Award

A TRIM man who is a carer for both his wife and son has been named the National Carer of the Year 2019. Marcin cares for his two-year-old daughter, his 13-year-old son who has autism and his wife, Aleksandra, who is also known as Ola.

Ola suffered a catastrophic brain stem stroke three weeks after the birth of her the couple’s second child, resulting in Locked-in Syndrome. Locked-in Syndrome is a condition in which a patient is conscious and cognitively intact, but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except for vertical eye movements and blinking.

Broadcasters and patrons of Family Carers Ireland Marty Whelan and Mary Kennedy presented Marcin Filak from Kildalkey with the overall Netwatch Carer of the Year Award. The awards recognise the contribution of Ireland's family carers. It is estimated that over 350,000 people care for a family member in Ireland today.

Last month the devoted father and husband was named Meath Carer of the Year. 

Marcin and family 

Marcin was nominated by Fiona Byrne who is a social worker in the National Rehabilitation Hospital, on behalf of his wife Ola. She points out that if it weren't for Marcin, Ola would be in a residential unit but instead, she is now at home watching her children grow.

Marcin has spoken about his family situation and said he would not have gotten through it without the support of his local community.
After her stroke, Ola was sent to the Mater Hospital, where she underwent treatment for nine months before moving to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dun Laoghaire.

Three weeks after her second baby was born Ola had a stroke due to a clot in a blood vessel in her neck.
Polish native Marcin (37) said: “We don’t know why this happened. She had no health problems, she didn’t drink or smoke and everything throughout her pregnancy was perfect.

“After the stroke, she had a bleed in the brain and doctors told me that she had only a few days to live. They told me to bring the children and say goodbye but I couldn’t give up on her.”