“I would like to wish Dr Mahony a well deserved retirement. He was so dedicated and kind to my late son Kevin Butler. We will always be so grateful to him. Kevin got on so well with Dr Mahony and he always treated Kevin with respect and explained everything to him so well”. (Pat and Patricia Butler, Tipperary) I have a distinct recollection of the first time I met Dr Michael Mahony, as it coincides with the birth of our second daughter. It was not until some years later in 2008 that I began to realise how much of a part Michael would have in our lives and indeed in the lives of many people and families living with Cystic Fibrosis. It was not until a few years later again, through the course of working more directly with Michael in my capacity as Chairperson of TLC4CF, that I fully understood how passionate, resilient and dedicated he was to working for people with Cystic Fibrosis. Any family attending what is now the University Hospital Limerick, back in the mid 2000’s, are all too aware of how limited the service was for people living with Cystic Fibrosis. It was a time when the country was witnessing unprecedented financial growth and thankfully Minister Mary Harney saw fit to ringfence some of that money to bolster services for people with CF. It was from this base that Michael took it on board as a personal challenge to improve services for all living with CF in Tipperary, Limerick, Clare and beyond. The journey from Minister Harney making funds available to having nurses and doctors on the ground in the hospital was a complex and difficult task but one that Michael executed with consummate professionalism. It was his enthusiasm and dedication to do the right thing for his patients that was the catalyst for county branches of the CF organisation in Tipperary, Limerick and Clare to combine their efforts through TLC4CF and to work as a single unit to progress things for our members. From a personal point of view I am forever grateful to Michael on a number of fronts but also as his endeavors provided an environment for me to work with one of the best voluntary committees I have ever been part of. Linda Drennan (RIP) and Marcella Clancy in Clare, Caitriona Hayes in Tipperary and Liam O' Kelly in Limerick worked endlessly with Michael throughout 2008 to the opening of the Leben Building in 2016. Michael's support and encouragement to the committee during these times is a source of lasting inspiration. It is true that it was Michael's job to provide a services to his patients, but it is how he has done this, that sets him apart. Few people go through their professional career and preside over and drive such significant changes. The development of services for people with CF in UHL will have Michael's name attributed to it, for some time to come. It’s a lasting legacy to his care for his patients, his resilience and determination. We wish his wife and Michael a long and happy retirement. I know from a recent call I had with him, that he has started that journey in good style. Thank you Michael. Owen Kirby, Chairperson TLC4CF 23 years ago my newly diagnosed son and I were very lucky to meet the wonderful Dr Mahony. At that time, he was the CF Consultant in Limerick along with the kind and caring CF Nurse Marion Lally. Back then the CF Paeds outpatient unit didn’t exist. Facilities for CF were poor. Dr Mahony rectified that and was the driving force in putting paeds CF care and facilities in place. He persisted until everything was up to his high standards. I am so grateful for his diligence and commitment to his CF patients. My boy ran in to trouble around age 10 with CF complications. Dr Mahony went above and beyond to source a treatment that would work for him to get him back to full health. He taught us well and due to his excellent care my son is living a healthy, happy life now. Dr Mahony also played a huge role in ensuring an urgent and very ambitious goal was fulfilled – the now state of the art adult CF inpatient and outpatient units. Even when his Pead patients had moved on to adult services he had their health and best interests at heart. Our family, and in particular my son are so very grateful to Dr Mahony. “Michael, we wish you and Kay a wonderful, happy and adventurous retirement, Thank You” The Clancy Family (Clare)
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