‘What will happen to our child when we are not around?’

IT’S been a long, hard road for 33-year-old Lisa Geaney and her parents. The family has stood on the precipice of despair many times as they fought for adequate services, which are still not available.

The youngest of seven children, Lisa, from Castleisland, Co Kerry, is mentally handicapped with autistic tendencies. She lives with her parents, Dr Donal and Margaret, and attends the Kerry Parents and Friends services at the Monastery, Killarney, five days a week.

“We’ve tried in every way to give her a life where she’ll be happy and fulfilled as a human being. This is a struggle, as funding for adult mentally handicapped services in Kerry is a scandal,” said Margaret.