Cystic fibrosis unit at CUH a dream come true for Joe
Five years after Kerryman Joe Browne vowed his own young son would not end up in the kind of facilities then on offer to CF patients at Cork University Hospital (CUH), his Build4Life charity witnessed the opening of a day centre for CF patients at the hospital yesterday.
The unit, a partnership between CUH and Build4Life, treated its first patient four years after fundraising began.
By yesterday the money raised through philanthropy stood at €2.3 million, €300,000 of which went towards the unit. The remainder is earmarked for phases two and three of the CF project, beginning with the provision of 11 in-patient beds at CUH later this year and followed by a paediatric CF unit for which Build4Life is raising funds.
“This is huge for us,” said Joe, who lives in Castleisland with 10-year-old son Pádraig. “It means CF patients can enter the hospital and not worry about picking up infection or getting sick.”
The project started for Joe after a visit to an adult CF friend in CUH five years ago.
“I said to myself ‘I’m not allowing my son to come into these facilities. I’d rather emigrate’. You can’t risk making people sicker than what they are.”
The new unit is purpose-built with sophisticated air purification technologies, five CF specific dedicated en-suite assessment rooms, a CF designated physiotherapy gym and a multidisciplinary team meeting room with state-of-the-art technical support.
Patients who attend will be given iPads where they will fill out a health questionnaire, involving them more actively in their own healthcare.
Respiratory consultant at CUH Dr Barry Plant said the unit “represents a huge step forward in the treatment of adult CF patients... not only at a regional level but at a national and international level”.
* See www.build4life.net or Build4Life4Kids/Cystic Fibrosis on Facebook.
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