DFNI Charity Ball to support Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin

Gavin Lipsith

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The Irish children’s hospital and research centre—nominated by a popular travel retailer—will be the beneficiary of next year’s ball on February 29

DFNI is delighted to announce that its annual Charity Ball will be held next year on February 29, in aid of the Children’s Research and Medical Foundation at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Ireland. The Ball, which is one of the highlights of the travel-retail industry calendar and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for good causes, will be held at the Renaissance Chancery Court hotel in London.

Our Lady’s Hospital specialises in helping children with serious illnesses, through care and through a world-renowned research centre, and is funded almost entirely by charitable donations. The hospital and its dedicated team of specialists have saved the lives of countless children in Ireland and across the world—including one belonging to a very popular travel retailer.

CTC-ARI Airports [Cyprus] general manager Gerry Crawford and his wife Amanda learned first hand about the hospital’s amazing work when their son Hugo was born with a severe congenital heart defect. As Crawford explains in his open letter below, the specialists at Our Lady’s Hospital saved Hugo’s life, and Hugo is now a “lively toddler up to mischief and giving his parents a run for their money”.

DFNI hopes that the Charity Ball will raise enough funds to be able to buy a state-of-the-art heart imaging system that will allow the team at Our Lady’s Hospital to detect and diagnose heart defects in children faster and more accurately. This should allow the hospital to save even more lives, and make it even more successful in treating cases such as Hugo’s.

The travel-retail industry has proved its generosity time and time again through the DFNI Charity Ball and other industry fundraising activities. We are hoping to rally that spirit of compassion again at next year’s event—if you would like to support the event in any way, through booking tables or seats, donating auction prizes or even cash donations, please contact Gerrard Kennedy (gerrard.kennedy@metropolis.co.uk; +44 208 253 8607) or Amanda Felix (amanda.felix@metropolis.co.uk; +44 208 253 8604). Click here for more information about the event.

Open letter from Gerry Crawford

On May 24 2006 our youngest son Hugo was born in Dublin. Unknown to us Hugo was born with a severe congenital heart defect, which came to light in dramatic circumstances when he was nine days old. When Hugo was a mere 10 days old he underwent major cardiac surgery to repair his congenital heart defect, and again at three months old. As any parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle can imagine this is akin to looking into an abyss; dark, unfamiliar and seemingly never-ending. Thankfully it is one that my family came back from the edge of—many families don’t.

Hugo’s heart condition is one of those conditions that can present itself at any stage in a child’s, teenager’s or even an adult’s life. Screening, research and accurate diagnosis is key to avoiding crisis and tragic situations. It is not until you confront the possibility of your newborn child’s mortality that you can fully appreciate how fine the thread of life can hang in the balance.

Today Hugo is a lively 18 month old toddler, up to mischief and giving his parents a run for their money. He will need to be monitored for the rest of his life and only time will tell whether he requires further intervention. But we are confident. And hopeful.

Without the speedy intervention of the Cardiac and Cardio Thoracic Teams at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children—their years of expertise, experience and research that has made it a centre for excellence—our story would be a very different one. To these dedicated professionals we are so deeply indebted for giving us back the gift of our son’s life, which was within hours of being snatched from us, that words really cannot express our gratitude.

The most tangible expression of our gratitude is to assist in whatever way we can to continue to fund the diagnosis and research that is undertaken at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children. I would like to sincerely thank DFNI for nominating this as the beneficiary for the Charity Ball 2008. All donations made will have a lasting effect on the care, treatment and prevention of critical childhood illnesses and disease not only in Ireland but—through the global exchange of expertise and research that, as a centre for excellence, Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children participate in—for children worldwide.