Mom of Down’s boy worked miracles

WHEN Brian Murphy was born 18 years ago today, his mother Kathleen learned her youngest child of four boys and two girls had Down’s Syndrome.

Initially shocked at the discovery, she was determined Brian would receive every opportunity to take his place in community life. In 1984 there was no Government support for integrated education.

“I wouldn’t have been without him, because it really puts things in perspective,” said the proud mother from Newbridge, Co Kildare. “You know what’s important and what’s not important.”

Yesterday, Down’s Syndrome Ireland (DSI) presented Kathleen with a Helping Hands Award for her selfless life’s work in supporting people with this congenital condition, which affects 5,000 people in this country.

Despite the demands of family life and running her own bridal fabric business, she made time to act as treasurer and secretary of DSI’s Kildare branch, serve on delegations to lobby for better health and educational services - and be a fabulous fundraiser as well.

“He went to the normal national school, Scoil Bríde in Athgarvan, with very little support at that time because it was unusual then for a person with Down’s Syndrome to attend a normal national school. They were usually placed in special schools.”

She decided to be a classroom assistant to her son - long before Micheál Martin formalised such a system when he became Minister for Education. Minister Martin, who attended the launch of DSI’s Honey Days fundraising campaign, said there’s still a long way to go in eliminating ingrained prejudices and preconceived ideas about children with Down’s syndrome.

DSI chief executive Paul Daly announced the charity plans to establish its own national resource centre. “At present, the Government-funded services are not providing adequate developmental support to children born with this learning disability,” said Mr Daly. “As a result, the areas of their most basic needs from an early age - feeding, walking, talking - are not being met, prompting despair and frustration in both parent and child.” During its current nine-day Honey Days fundraising campaign, DSI hopes to raise €350,000.

The charity needs 1m to fund the initial stages of the new resource centre.

The public can donate by buying a miniature honey pot for 2 or a Helping Hands pin for 3. By texting the word ‘honey’ to 57112, mobile phone users can donate 3.