A Co Waterford community has rallied at least 25,000 euro for a 15-year-old local girl who has been devastated by a family tragedy.
Friends, family and neighbours in Portlaw have raised the money - through a 'Go Fund me' campaign - for Eabha Mansfield, who lost her mam Pamela (51) to cancer in October, just weeks after her father, Mattie (53) , suffered a major cardiac arrest.
Mattie Mansfield remains in UHW where he requires constant care and next week will be assessed in the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoighaire. He took ill on September 12, two days after his wife's cancer diagnosis.
Mattie was on a ventilator in UHW for two days when he was first admitted to hospital and the family has been told he will now have long-term care needs.
Pamela, who worked in Bausch and Lomb, had taken ill suddenly in the summer and Mattie had been helping his teen daughter Eabha, and Pamela's oldest daughter Ciara, through these difficult times when he suddenly took ill himself.
Pamela died on October 21 in UHW. Mattie was an inpatient there also at the time.
The Mansfield and Nolan families in Portlaw have been devastated by the events of recent months and last week, 15 year-old Eabha put her thoughts on social media in a heartbreaking post.
"I have lost one parent this month and I'm not ready to give up on another and I wish to give him every fighting chance," she said. "Dad got to say goodbye to Mam but due to his condition, was unable to register these current events."
On Deise Today this morning, Ciara Nolan described the devastating impact on the family and said what has happened still seems "unbelievable" and "unreal".
You can listen back to Ciara Nolan's interview with Damien by clicking below here...
