Autumn 2023 Newsletter

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What if we could speed genetic testing and save more lives?

Fiona O’Keeffe is 49. She’s recovering from breast cancer, the same cancer her sister faced and the one they lost their mother to last year.

Fiona was sent to Dublin for genetic testing. The process was a major upheaval, removing her from her experts in Cork. “In that time, you lost the connection with the people that you’re used to dealing with,” she said.

But now, thanks to generous supporters of CUH like you, doctors have hope for a new trial. It will reduce the wait for genetic testing results from up to two years to just four weeks. The six-month “mainstreaming” pilot project at CUH is a game changer.

Mainstreaming profiles a patient’s cancer. This gives specialists an “extra piece of the jigsaw” to decode the most effective surgery, treatment or

Your hospital awarded €40,000 RTE Toy Show Appeal grant

Autumn 2023

medication to benefit the patient.

This has the potential to prevent cancer and deaths by finding hereditary gene mutations.

“We are very excited about this. Reducing the time it takes to identify what form of cancer we are dealing with to just four weeks locally in Cork, is massive,” said CUH surgical oncologist, Professor Mark Corrigan.

So far, over 120 cancer patients across Munster have benefited from the quick turnaround times.

If we can expand the pilot program, many more patients will benefit.

Your generous gifts to CUH help fund this and so many other exciting new projects – saving lives. We’re so grateful!

We’re thrilled, and I’m sure you are as well. This grant will fund the development of electronic educational tools to improve care for Munster children and families with type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys beta cells in the pancreas and leaves the body unable to control blood sugar levels. It begins in early childhood and affects about 500 new children in Ireland every year.

Dealing with diabetes is difficult. Families must learn to manage all aspects of the condition, from physical to social and emotional.

This new tool should reduce time in hospital by giving families the tools they can use at home. The information will also help any other caregivers, like

grandparents. And the educational materials can help schools and other community groups understand the condition. Then they can help reduce the child’s social anxiety.

“Not all hospitals in Ireland have a full multidisciplinary diabetes team and the educational experience will vary across the country. CUH is seeing patients from Tipperary, Kerry,

This grant will be enormously helpful in developing this programme. But you support is still needed! If you’d like to support this project, you can visit www.cuhcharity.ie.

Aubrey and Lorna Raye’s Pathfinder experience

Welcome to Pathfinder CUH, a new programme to provide an alternative care pathway for people of 65 years and older.

Aubrey Raye has first-hand experience with the Pathfinder service. Neither he nor his wife, Lorna, had known about it before the Friday morning in May when Aubrey became ill.

“That morning, Lorna was out of the house. I was sitting in a comfy chair, when

suddenly, I got this noise in my ears and this pressure in my head.”

“I didn’t quite know what to do about it. But as I had experienced it before, I knew what was coming. Then I felt nauseous and thought I should go to the bathroom. But I was too scared to stand up in case I’d fall over.”

“So I sat there until my wife came home.”

Waterford and beyond.”
Pleasereadon…continuedonpage2 “Absolutely amazing!” INSIDE: >> Exciting news for you about early cancer detection >> Pathfinder project means fewer hospital trips CUH Charity Office, Room 8, Main Concourse, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork. Tel: 021 4234529 Email: info@cuhcharity.ie Registered Charity CHY 17293 www.cuhcharity.ie
~Prof. Colin Hawkes, Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist, CUH.
Thanks to you, a new project at CUH is a game changer in early cancer detection!
Professor Mark Corrigan (Clinical Lead for Transforming Theatre Programme SSWHG) & Fiona O’Keeffe
YoursupportinactionforCUH&CUMH
CHANGING LIVES
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One man’s challenge to honour a beloved family member’s memory

Richard Horgan is a Cork-based Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. And he just completed a mammoth challenge. He climbed the highest peaks in every county within a week, concluding with the 918m Galtymore on the Limerick/Tipperary border.

Richard’s challenge was inspired by the loss of his wife’s youngest sister, Orla. Orla died in 2018, five months after delivering her fifth child. He aims to raise funds to create dedicated spaces for patients and staff at CUMH. They will be a permanent reminder of Orla, a social care worker and devoted mother.

Richard is determined, and has invited family, friends and healthcare colleagues to join him. “Failure is not an option”, he says.

Remembering Orla

– a personal message from Richard Horgan

Orla passed away in December 2018, five months after delivering her 5th baby in CUMH. I have wanted to do something in her memory for a long time. I took up a Consultant post at CUMH in January 2020 and started planning in lockdown. Finally, I have an opportunity to undertake this challenge.

“Orla was so dynamic. It was always about the solution rather than the problem with her,” he says.

“She was never one to leave things slide. She would ask about things, delve into things and was never one to

“This will be somewhere patients, their partners, and staff can go and sit. Take a moment, have a chat, take a phone call. Or just to have those few minutes.”

The new space will include a symbol specifically remembering Orla and her many journeys in CUMH with the joy of new life growing and arriving.

“Orla worked hard in social care where

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avoid sensitive conversations if something needed to be said. And I admire that as a characteristic.”

“She loved kids, was brilliant with them, loved being pregnant but always wanted to be involved and to know everything about her care. This lives on in her five fabulous kids.”

“When I walk into the maternity hospital, there are magnificent glass corridors and there’s an opportunity to install benches or seats. We have three floors to work with and could do it on all floors.”

some days were extremely tough. This place, basked in Cork sunshine, (most of the time) is the perfect place to honour Orla’s memory.

“A simple kindness, like a bench, for those that need it, to take a moment would give me incredible joy in this precious line of work.”

You can support Richard’s challenge and honour his sister-in-law at https://www.cuhcharity.ie/donate-page

The Cork Pathfinder team includes seven highly specialised professionals. One is Brid O’Donoghue, Senior Physiotherapist.

Brid explains how Pathfinder works.

“Someone might ring 999 because their mother or grandmother is on the floor, and they can’t lift her. We go and help the person up from the floor. We make sure

they’re okay and that they don’t need to go to hospital.”

“We look at the things they might be lacking. If they’re having trouble getting their meals, we could refer them to Meals on Wheels. If they’re feeling quite lonely, they could be referred to ALONE. We try to fill the gaps in the person’s needs, to enable them to achieve what matters most to them.”

Living in Ireland, you always have the comfort of knowing that if you need urgent medical attention, you can call 112/999. Then an ambulance will be sent to your aid if required.

But what if a hospital stay is not needed? What if instead, you need a bit of help right in your home?

Pathfinder CUH

With Pathfinder, people of 65 years and older can be treated in their own home whenever possible.

The Pathfinder team is made up of advanced paramedics, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. When a call is received, the rapid response vehicle goes out with an advanced paramedic as well as either an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist.

You’d be assessed in your own home. If you need follow up care, the physiotherapist or occupational therapist can provide that for you for up to seven

How Pathfinder, supported with your generosity, helped one couple

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Lorna immediately called for help.

days – in your home.

Families are delighted to know their loved ones are safe

Hospitals are not without their risks, especially for older people. Infections, loneliness, and confusion can result from being in strange surroundings. So it’s a great comfort to know your loved one can receive the care they need at home.

Aubrey says, “I was dreading having to go to hospital. The next thing we knew was that the Pathfinder team had arrived. They pitched up, checked my heart and other vitals. They also checked my blood sugar level and all the rest.”

“Then low and behold they said to me, ‘No, you don’t have to go to hospital. You just have to stay where you are, here at home.’”

“I can’t speak highly enough of them. They were really brilliant, helpful and

efficient. Absolutely amazing.” Should you or a loved one ever need us, Pathfinder is ready to help! And your support for this and other services in CUH and CUMH makes them possible. Your generosity powers everything we do. Thank you!

32 County Peaks in a Week
“Failure is not an option”
Pathfinder: a new and better way to care for your loved ones at home
Breda Meagher (Senior Occupational Therapist) preps Tomás Allen (Advanced Paramedic) for a Pathfinder call The Pathfinder Team - Bríd O’Donoghue, Tom Cox, Aislinn Griffin, Dearbhla Burke, Tadhg O’ Shea, Breda Meagher & Tomás Allen Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists who are part of the Pathfinder team
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