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Lucy's journey from Crumlin to
her first day of school in Dungloe
10.10.19
CARLEEN Gallagher, from
Dungloe in Donegal, is calling on parents to teach
their children about different types of beauty. Her
daughter, Lucy, has a genetic skin condition that
requires life-long care. It is called Harlequin
Ichthyosis and there is no cure.
“I am mum to a fabulous little lady, Lucy, who is
now six and a half,” Carleen said. “That half is
very important in our home. She is spirited,
determined, feisty and so funny. She has a zest for
living that can only be admired.”
Lucy was born in Letterkenny Hospital, but was
transferred to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
in CHI at Crumlin due to her skin condition. Crumlin
became home for the Gallagher family for eight
months while Lucy was being treated in the hospital.
Carleen describes how far Lucy has come in six years
– “Just over one year ago, Lucy walked into her new
classroom in Scoil Roisín, Dungloe, alongside her
peers to start a new journey. The tears that fell on
that ordinary sunny Wednesday fell because of the
pride, gratitude and contentment we felt. We
embraced and celebrated the extraordinary of both
the big and small changes in this life." |
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Lucy's journey from CHI in Crumlin to
her first day of school in Dungloe |
“Most students are
blissfully unaware of all the background preparation
and hard work done by the school staff, the many
professionals and volunteers in our community to
make it possible for Lucy to attend her local
primary school. Our family experienced invaluable
and tremendous support from our community and we are
eternally grateful. No one in Scoil Roisín had ever
dealt with Ichthyosis before, but the staff were
more than willing to learn with us so that Lucy
would be in the best environment and receive any
special care she needs.”
“As a parent of a child who tends to attract a lot
of attention due to her unique beauty, I felt a
responsibility to Lucy to familiarise all the
students in the school with her before school
began,” Carleen said.
“The summer before she started
school, I wrote a child-friendly letter that could
be read to all classes, explaining Lucy’s condition
and answering any questions I thought might arise
when she started school. I wanted the children to be
comfortable around Lucy. All children are naturally
curious in life; it is up to us adults to nurture
and mould an understanding and kindness in our
children. When we heard back that one little girl
exclaimed ‘write back to her and tell her not to
worry about a thing because we will take care of
her,’ I actually had to hold back the tears. That
day cemented our hope for the new school year; hope
for acceptance, hope for friends and hope for
understanding.”
Carleen is calling on parents to have a chat with
their children about how they react to a different
type of beauty and to prepare them to meet children
who might be a little different. |
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