Big-hearted Inishowen digs deep for Alan 06.07.07

THE aunt of teenager, Alan Doherty who is undergoing groundbreaking surgery in the US to reconstruct his lower jaw said the family are "overwhelmed" with the generosity of people in Inishowen and Donegal. Clonmany-born Grace McColgan told InishowenNews.com that the €100,000 needed to pay for the first phase of surgery, had been reached. But another €200,000 to €300,000 is still needed.
Grace, who is a sister of Alan's father, said the doctors at the renowned Mount Sinai Hospital in New York were 'amazed' at the speed of the 17-year old's recovery from the first round of surgery. This means the second phase of treatment is on target to be undertaken in October or November. "The overall cost is likely to be in the region of between €350,000 and €400,000," said Grace. "We managed to raise the first €100,000 but we'll keep going now to try and raise the rest." A long list of fundraising events and benefits
organised by the Friends of Alan Doherty are scheduled for the rest of the year and well into 2008, in a bid to realise Alan's dream of leading a normal life. A sponsored walk last Sunday from Clonmany to Buncrana raised €13,000 so far, with more sponsorship money still to come in. Meanwhile, Grace thanked Buncrana man John Porter and his friends who, in one single weekend, managed to raise more than €10,000 for Alan's appeal.

	They achieved this through bucket collections around the streets and bars. "People in Inishowen and the rest of Donegal are so, so good. We've also been getting donations from around Ireland. We are so grateful to everyone for what they're doing to help Alan," she said. She also thanked the Fitzpatrick Group in New York, who have allowed Alan
and his parents Danny and Bernie to stay in one of their hotels for "little or no" charge. While Alan was discharged from hospital a couple of weeks ago, he had to remain in the vicinity for follow-up physiotherapy and medical checks. The family now hope he can return to Letterkenny in a couple of weeks for a break before his scheduled return to the States in the autumn. For a list of upcoming fundraisers that you can support, including a sponsored cycle this weekend, log on to  www.friendsofalandoherty.com .
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