Memorial trust for mother who campaigned for son

A MEMORIAL trust has been set up as a tribute to Susan Maher, the mother of six who died during the week as she made her daily return trip between Dublin and Kilkenny so her deaf son might have a chance of leading a normal life.

The 41-year-old died in a horror smash just minutes from her home in Kilkenny on Monday night. She was returning from her daily five-hour round trip so she could learn sign language to help her four-year-old son Bobby.

Now family and friends, who’ve also helped raise money for heart operations for Bobby, are again pooling their efforts. They have set up the Susan Maher Memorial Trust Fund and hope it will finance hearing implants for Bobby as well as operations for other children in need.

At her funeral Mass yesterday, chief celebrant Dean Norman Lynas, spoke of Susan’s winning smile and her genuine warmth. He said there were no words which would console her husband, Michael, and their surviving children, Annie, Katie, Lucey, Jeffrey, Bobby and three year-old Suzy.

“She felt that no child should ever be isolated on health grounds. She saw herself as the one with the impediment, not Bobby. It may be the closing chapter in Susan’s life, but it is hopefully the opening of a page that might see some good,” the Church of Ireland Dean said at a packed funeral mass at St Aidan’s Church in Kilmanagh, Co Kilkenny.

Susan Maher would wake at 4.30am each day, Monday to Friday. She would prepare lunches for her six children, the eldest of whom, Annie, is just 13.

She would then wake little Bobby and drive to Dublin.

While the eager mum would do her sign language interpreter’s course at Trinity, Bobby was getting intensive therapy which was helping him converse with others. She was just six months away from getting her Diploma.

After that, she’d planned to fund-raise to help get Bobby the hearing implants he needed. The operation will probably take place in Manchester. - when it takes place depends on the amount of funds raised.

The Children’s Heart Care Action Group, which raised £100,000 to finance hole in the heart operations two years ago for little Bobby, as well as surgery for Craig Gibbons, 2, Laura Moore, 4, and Conor Saxby, 2, is again rowing in behind the trust.

And leading sportsmen, Mick Galwey, and DJ Carey, have also backed the campaign.

Spokesperson, Teresa Mullen, said “We owe it to Susan to continue the good work that she has done. And we owe it to Bobby to continue to see that he gets all the help he needs,” she added.