Graham Norton helps gear up for charity cycle to aid those affected by Covid-19

Graham Norton meeting the Cork team to launch ICU 4 U charity cycle.

Doctors, nurses and staff from Intensive Care Units (ICUs) all over the country will take part in a charity cycle in aid of those affected by the Covid-19 crisis, where they will be supported by Graham Norton among some other well-known faces.

The ICU 4 U Charity Cycle aims to raise at least €100,000 for a number of charities including Alone, Breakthrough Cancer Research, Aware and ICUsteps.

The cycle to Dublin will take place on September 3 and 4. It will start from five locations in Ireland —  Belfast, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford and will end in Phoenix Park. As well as Graham Norton, champion Olympic rower Paul O’Donovan, and hotelier and TV personality John Brennan will be promoting the event.

Although the doctors, nurses and ancillary staff of the Intensive Care Units said they are grateful for the ongoing support the Irish public has shown them throughout the pandemic, they are uncomfortable being labelled ‘heroic’ and ‘frontline’. 

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The aim of this cycle is to turn the focus back on the patients and the supporting charities that help the most vulnerable in society, in particular those most affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

Commenting, chief organiser Dr Patrick Seigne, consultant intensivist at Cork University Hospital ICU, said: “Many ICU staff are uncomfortable with being put up on a pedestal during the crisis, as we are just doing our jobs albeit in challenging times. We are extremely grateful for the gifts we received from the public but we need to put the focus back where it is most needed — with the patients and charities.

“The impact of Covid-19 reaches far beyond the ICU, and we are only beginning to see the secondary challenges, in particular with the elderly, those in nursing homes, those experiencing anxiety and mental illness, Covid-19 ICU survivors, and cancer patients who are particularly vulnerable to the virus, have had their diagnosis delayed, and urgently need new treatments.” 

The team has already raised more than half of the €100,000 target thanks to support from corporate sponsors, including lead sponsor AerCap, gold sponsors Eli Lily and BNP Paribas, silver sponsors Pfizer and Gilead, and other supporters.

Orla Dolan, Breakthrough Cancer Research, Martha Hanlon ICU Steps, Dr. Patrick Seigne, Cork University Hospital, Drew Flood, Aware, Halina McNabb, Alone and Serena O’Brien, Mater ICUpictured at the launch of the ICU 4 U Charity Cycle. Picture: Maxwells

ICU 4 U ambassador, Graham Norton said: “The entire nation is grateful to these incredible doctors and their teams who have been working tirelessly in the ICU to keep our most vulnerable safe. But the modest bunch who have been putting their lives at risk throughout this pandemic say it’s just their job and I applaud them for leading the way in putting the public focus back on supporting charities who badly need funding.”

The two-day cycle, barring any restrictions brought about due to local or national lockdowns, will start on September 3 from the five locations and end on September 4 in Dublin. 

Here the teams of 15 cyclists will meet and cycle together towards Aras an Uachtarain. 

A smaller group will then cycle to the College of Anaesthesiology of Ireland in Merrion Square which is the home of both the Intensive Care Society of Ireland and the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine of Ireland. 

Another small group will cycle on to the Mater Hospital, where the most severely ill ICU patients are sometimes sent for ECMO treatment (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation). This is also the hospital that managed a significant number of Covid-19 patients.