Firefighters in Cork are climbing a height equivalent to Mount Everest this weekend in order to raise funds to send sick children to Disneyland.
Up to twenty firefighters are climbing ladders at various locations in a bid to raise vital funds for the Cork City Hospitals’ Children’s Club.
Firefighter Stephen O’Connell decided to organise the challenge after the charity paid for a journey to Disneyland for his daughter Izzy who has been sick for the last two years. He told Cork’s Red FM that the trip was a huge boost for a very sick child.
“ Izzy has been through an awful lot over the last two years. She has had two major operations. She was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February of 2014. Her mum had found a lump on the side of her head and we brought her straight to A&E in Cork University Hospital and within ten minutes we had doctors swarming around us. We were told we had to go straight to Temple Street as she had a tumour. It was the worst day of my life. She has been through an awful lot. To get the trip to Eurodisney was great because we still have a lot of hospital visits so for her to be a normal child for a few days was amazing,” he said.
Firefighter Stephen O'Brien is also doing the challenge as his nine-year-old son Aidan is impacted by serious illness. Aidan has focal segmental glomerulosclerosis which attacks his kidneys. He divides his time between Crumlin, Temple Street and Beaumont Hospital and undergoes dialysis eleven hours a day.
The two day event got underway on Friday. Firefighters will climb ladders until they have reached more than 29,000 feet at 22 locations in Cork city and county. Gardaí and ambulance personnel are collecting money at the different venues.
John Looney, chairman of the Cork City Hospitals’ Children’s Club said he was delighted with the initiative.
"They approached us because they realise it's one of the best charities around and they know what we do. Every year we take 57 children, their carers, doctors and nurses to Eurodisney. We also take another 250 children to see Santa at Fota House every Christmas. We also send seven families of terminally ill children away for weekend breaks."
The finale of the fundraising drive will take place outside Cork City Library on Sunday. Donations can be made here.