Hearts of Gold... Determined mums raising funds for the Heart Centre at Crumlin Children’s Hospital have raised a staggering €150,000

A MAJOR fundraising drive undertaken by two determined local mums for the Heart Centre at Crumlin Children’s Hospital has raised a staggering €150,000.

The 'Show your Big Heart' campaign is raising funds for virtual simulations and 3D programs that will greatly benefit the children at Crumlin Children's Hospital.

Organised by Lesley Richards and Aoife Murphy, the final fundraiser in the mammoth drive is an online auction taking place this week for lots including signed jerseys, and sought after match tickets.

Up for auction are: a signed 2002 Manchester United Jersey, a meal for eight at Tribe Restaurant in their exclusive Tower Room, with champagne & cocktails, a signed Meath Ladies jersey, a signed Dublin Men’s jersey, a signed Dublin Ladies jersey, a signed Leinster Rugby jersey, two tickets to a Liverpool game, two tickets to a Manchester United game in a corporate box at Old Trafford and a signed 1988 Meath jersey.

Bids can be made on the lots by visiting their Facebook page "Show your Big Heart" and by commenting under the picture of the lot. The highest bid on 22nd December wins.

Lesley Richards, originally from Duleek, but now living in Drogheda, and Aoife Murphy from Kells have both seen first-hand the exceptional care provided by the team at the heart centre to their children Alanna and Zach.

Alanna, Lesley's daughter, bravely battled severe heart failure at just 13-months-old. After a cardiac arrest and transfer to Crumlin Children's Hospital, the family received the devastating news that Alanna needed a heart transplant.

"It was such a shock, as Alanna had been a perfectly healthy child until then. Her heart troubles were caused by common viruses, leading to a diagnosis of myocarditis," explained Lesley.

Alanna spent four critical weeks in Crumlin, clinging to life. Her condition worsened multiple times, causing great concern among the doctors. Eventually, she was transferred to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, England, where she awaited a donor heart. Sadly, there is no children's heart transplant program in Ireland, so families like Alanna's have to travel abroad for this life-saving procedure.

During her time in Newcastle, Alanna underwent various procedures, including a tracheotomy, open heart surgery and the implantation of a bypass machine to support her failing heart. Despite the countless challenges and long months, Alanna received exceptional care from dedicated medical professionals. Eventually, her heart showed signs of improvement, and she no longer required a heart transplant, an outcome Lesley describes as a "true miracle".

Aoife's son, Zack was born with serious heart complications, including Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which meant his heart did not fully develop. In addition he has dextrocardia situs inversus which means his heart is located on the right side of his body. Immediately after birth, Aoife told how Zack was whisked away to the heart centre for crucial surgery. Since then, he has undergone 33 surgical procedures as well as four open heart surgeries in his short life. Yet, his battle is not over.

"These heart-wrenching stories highlight the life-saving expertise of Crumlin. However, the Heart Centre desperately needs help. We, as parents of children who have benefited from their care, decided. to give back to the wonderful hospital that saved our children's lives," said Aoife.

Lesley and Aoife began their campaign in March, setting a target of €150,000 after a meeting with the team at the Heart Centre.

"Our mission was to truly make a difference in the lives of children with serious heart conditions. We knew it wouldn't be easy, but with a dedicated and focused committee, we put in the hard work and planning," said Lesley.

"Thanks to the incredible support and donations we received, we not only reached our goal but surpassed it! We are so grateful for everyone who helped us achieve our ambitious goal of €150,000. I'm a true believer in the power of determination, and that when you set your mind on something, there's no limit to what you can achieve."

So how did they manage to raise such a huge sum? They began by selling raffle tickets at Navan and Scotch Hall Shopping Centres and their fundraising efforts culminated in a Charity Christmas Ball in the Newgrange Hotel on 25th November, attended by almost 300 people.

Lesley told how as well as a being a fundraiser, the ball was to acknowledge and celebrate the lives of our children who have been saved by the Heart Centre in Crumlin.

"A huge thank you to everyone who came along to support us and who bought tickets for the night as well as raffle tickets. We laughed, we cried, we danced but most importantly we had fun doing good and created amazing energy for a good cause... saving little hearts."

They also recorded a song 'What Becomes of the Broken Hearted' which was sung by Tara Kavanagh, herself a heart child, with backing vocals from Duleek Bellewstown Gaelic4Mothers & Others.

They did a dance challenge with other Gaelic4Mothers & others teams in Meath to get support by texting Crumlin to 50300 to donate €4 and also as a way to raise awareness for the campaign.

"By donating and raising funds, we can provide vital resources that will truly transform the lives of children like Alanna and Zack. We are currently at €151,000 and we still have the auction to complete," said Lesley.