Equinox cycle playing it spart in drive for a new dawn for sick children

MARIE Heffernan’s twins were born 14 weeks early. They had been due on September 9.

“Cathal wasn’t developing in the womb as he should have been, hence the decision to deliver them early,” says the 39-year-old Charleville mum, a Garda. Cathal survived 30 days. “We buried him on July 1 and Lorcan went to Temple Street Children’s Hospital that night.”

At four and a half weeks — and weighing just 950g — Lorcan had a major bowel operation. “He came through it,” says Marie, but his health is still precarious. “His food and nutrition management have to be approached very carefully, so he grows big enough to have follow-up surgery, also at Temple Street.”

Now weighing 2.5kg, he’s being bottle- and breast-fed — when he and Cathal were born, they were fed donor breast milk, because Marie had shingles. “I’ve had a baptism of fire into motherhood. It wasn’t what I expected — the goalposts changed. But we’ve been so lucky to have Temple Street. They had Lorcan for two and a half weeks and they couldn’t have looked after him, and us, better.”

Marie and her husband, Jonathan, are just two among tens of thousands of parents whose children are treated at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital each year. These parents will be cheering on the 50 cyclists who will bike 230km from Dublin to Youghal for the annual Equinox Charity Cycle on Saturday, September 27. They aim to raise €20,000 for Temple Street Hospital and the acquired-brain-injury charity, Headway.

This is the fourth Equinox cycle, and preceding years combined have raised €50,000. “In 2014, we aim to raise €20,000 — we’re hoping individuals and businesses will help by sponsoring us to reach this target,” says event organiser, Ronan O’Neill.

The cycle will begin at sunrise (7am) in Clontarf, in Dublin, where the cyclists will dip their back wheels into the Irish Sea. At sunset, 12 hours later, they will dip their front wheels on the beaches in Youghal. The team will stop along the way in Naas, Athy, Callan, Carrick-on-Suir and Dungarvan.

Comedian and bike enthusiast, PJ Gallagher, a supporter of the cycle, says: “Having cycled to Kinvara, Galway, in 2013 with the Equinox Cycle, I can easily say it was the most enjoyable day out on the bike I’ve ever had — and [it was] in aid of two very deserving charities.”

* To donate, visit www.mycharity.ie/event/equinoxcycle2014 . Potential sponsors should contact [e-mail] . Visit www.equinoxcycle.com

Parent panel: Temple St CUH: A factfile

* Temple Street Children’s University Hospital was founded more than 140 years ago

* It cares for approximately 145,000 children annually

* More than 55,000 of these children attend the emergency department, making it one of the busiest in Europe

* The hospital started in 1872 with just eight beds