Scairbh
Na
gCaorach
EMYVALE
Auction for Shauna McPhillips Trust fund.
Little Shauna McPhillips, aged 4, from the Scotstown/Ballinode area, has been diagnosed
with Rett Syndrome. This is a very rare condition which attacks young girls mainly
and is very difficult to diagnose. There are only 55 diagnosed cases in Ireland and
Shauna’s parents, Declan and Marie, had to take her to England to get the diagnoses.
However the Irish authorities seem to have washed their hands of this condition as
there are very few ways that the parents can get assistance from the state. This
condition demands 24/7 attention and care and also specialised equipment but there
is little help from Government or HSE. The quality of life for a Rett sufferer can
be fair at times but can also deteriorate very quickly leading to severe asthma,
epilepsy, loss of swallow, and general loss of muscle control. The child has no means
of communication and so it can be impossible at times to diagnose a complaint which
can be very stressful for the parents. Constant physical and mental stimulation is
necessary and beneficial but this puts an added strain on parents. It also puts a
great strain on other members of the family and can be difficult for young members
to understand the needs of the Rett sufferer.
A Fund for Shauna has been set up with
two trustees, Gerard Sherry and Seamus McQuillan, and various fund-raising activities
have been organised to provide resources for use by Declan and Marie. At the Lions
function on Saturday night a Tommy Freeman jersey signed by the Monaghan squad of
2010 was sold at auction for €2,300. Then on Sunday night a number of items were
auctioned in Scotstown GFC Social Centre. This raised almost 7,000 euro. Great support
has been forthcoming from many GAA personalities and Paraic Duffy together with Miriam
O’Callaghan, is a National patron of the Rett Association. If you get an opportunity
please support this fund as you will make life more bearable for little Shauna and
her family.
The Scotstown event took place after the launch of the 3 DVD set covering the history of the Scotstown Club and community. This is a major work of heritage and constitutes 9 hours of viewing and contains fantastic clips of video and sound from bygone years and times. Mackie Rooney, Seamus McElwaine, Sean Morgan, Cormac Sherry and Eugene McCague were involved in the project. It is certainly one of the best Christmas presents available especially for a Scotstown/Tydavnet person but indeed anyone from the North Monaghan area will enjoy it. In years to come the results of the work by this committee will really be appreciated as it is a fabulous record for posterity. Below we include photos from that event with the auction for Shauna.
