CF sufferer makes plea for improved facilities

A YOUNG man suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) yesterday pleaded for a better quality of life than the one experienced by his older sister.

Joseph Lawlor, 20, said his sister Tracie, 24, was terrified of going into hospital because of the contamination risk.

The Lawlor family from Castlebridge, Co Wexford, has vowed to campaign for improved services for CF suffers after Tracie’s death last November.

The risk of cross-contamination is greater for CF sufferers but the kind of isolation facilities they need in Ireland are still far from ideal.

Joseph, who regularly attends St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin, the main treatment centre for CF sufferers, is anxious every time he has to go into hospital and so was Tracie.

He pointed out that Ireland has the highest incidence of CF in the world but still had no dedicated CF unit.

Joseph said the last time his sister was admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital was through the accident and emergency department that exposed her to a greater risk of cross-infection.

Before she died, Tracie was treated in Waterford General Hospital because St Vincent’s Hospital did not have a bed available and she would have to be admitted through A&E.

Joseph, who contacted RTÉ’s Liveline yesterday, said a CF nurse in Waterford managed to get a bed in an isolation room for Tracie.

After spending three weeks in the hospital her family took her home. She died two days later.

Before she died, Tracie realised her dream of singing with Phil Coulter while in New York to attend the Empire State Games for the Physically Challenged.

Joseph said she sang with Mr Coulter accompanying her on piano to an audience of more than 300 people. “She could barely take a breath and reach the notes but she still did it,” he recalled.

Mr Coulter, who attended Tracie’s funeral played the piano before paying tribute to her from the altar. He described Tracie as an exceptional person and considered himself privileged to have known her.

Joseph believes his sister would still be alive if the facilities she desperately needed were available.

“We are talking about people’s lives here. We are not talking about a bypass around a town. We are talking about people’s quality of life and people living longer. It is as simple as that.”

He could not understand that the facilities first demanded for CF sufferers some 15 years ago have not been provided by now.