Former patient joins protest to show appreciation
Jerry O’Leary, 50, from Kanturk, Co Cork, had returned to Mater to be treated for a minor chest infection but decided to make a stand with around 300 nurses outside the hospital when they stopped work for an hour as part of their campaign for a 35-hour week and a 10.6% pay rise.
Mr O’Leary, a former welder, suffered a heart attack in 1995 while watching Dublin play Cork in Croke Park. In 1998 a second heart attack ended his working life. When his heart began to fail last year he was connected to an artificial heart machine before beginning his wait for a donor.
“There were times when I wondered if I would leave the hospital alive. I got depressed sometimes but the staff were so good to me. They kept me going. I can’t thank them enough,” he said last month just before he left the hospital.
Yesterday he said he decided to join the nurses’ protest to show how much he appreciated them.
Mater Hospital management said they managed to cope better than they expected during the stoppage. The hospital was quieter than usual because of the bank holiday weekend so there were no delays in out-patient and day-patient services. Planned theatre procedures went ahead.
