A FUNDRAISING campaign to bring a Waterford man - currently recovering from serious illness in Dun Laoighaire's National Rehabilitation Hospital - has just been launched.
The partner of 45-year-old John Upton, and his daughter, are hoping to raise 150,000 through a 'GoFundMe' campaign to modify their home so that John, who has been in the Dublin facility for over one year, can return home to Waterford and his loving family.
John was rushed to hospital with a severe headache in December 2019 where doctors discovered a clot on his brain stem, leaving him unable to walk. His recovery is slow and he's having to regain his ability to use his hands, and speak.
Speaking to Damien Tiernan on 'Deise Today' this morning, John's partner, Caroline Foskin, said it's been devastating for the whole family and even though all they want is to bring John home, the reality is that it can't happen unless their house is modified to suit his needs.
She said they have a two-storey house (Larchville area), the bedrooms are upstairs and John's wheelchair couldn't fit through any of the doors in the house, including the front one.
"He has a lot of needs and is going to need 24-hour care," she told Damien.
"I just want people to feel it in their hearts to help us, to get him home. We can't do it ourselves. He is so homesick and is desperate to come home."
The family are local authority tenants and can receive 30,000 of the costs through an adaptation grant for the home, but the family must come up with the rest.
Caroline works as a cleaner and the couple's daughter Sarah is aged 17.
Sarah said she "can't imagine" how great it would be to have her dad home as he's been gone so long.
She described getting to spend Christmas Day with him in the Dublin hospital but other than that she has only been able to see him over video links.
John's time in Dublin is set to end mid March. He has been showing good signs of improvement but has a long road to recovery ahead and a lot of needs to be met.
The GoFundMe campaign for John Upton can be found by following this link...Fundraiser by Seamus Barry : Bring John Home (gofundme.com)
Meanwhile, you can listen back to Damien's heartbreaking interview with Caroline and Sarah by clicking below here...
Meanwhile, you can listen back to the full Deise Today from this morning by clicking below here...
