Princess Dream Comes True for Eoin

Four year old Eoin Stewart from Ballybeg, Waterford was diagnosed with Cancer last year.

Eoin has a tumour in the liver (rhabdomyosarcoma), has undergone 9 cycles of chemotherapy, travelled to London during the summer for 30 sessions of radiotherapy and still has more MRIs and scans to undergo.

His birthday was on the 16^th of November when he turned 4 years old but as he was in hospital he couldn’t celebrate it. So, his mum Emma contacted Share a Dream to see if the Dream Team could visit him in his home with two Princesses.

Eoin loves Princesses as after he lost most of his hair he became infatuated with long hair, which is exactly what beautiful Princesses have.

So, on the 21^st November the Dream Team headed off to Waterford to meet Eoin, his family and friends. Eoin and his sister Abigale spent the day showing the Princesses around his house along with Mickey Mouse and Woody. Later he brought the Princesses into the Dream Machine to play with all the magical toys.

Family time for The Buckley's

The Buckley family consist of Mum, Dad and 4 boys Cian, Alex, Dylan and Charlie. However, unlike most “normal” families three of the boys Cian, Alex and Dylan and their Dad have a genetic condition called Neurofibromatosis type 1. It is a rare genetic condition and presents differently in each person.

14yr old Cian’s condition is more severe than his younger brothers and at the tender age of 16 weeks Cian suffered his first extensive stroke which caused his right hemepirisis (right sided weakness).

Alex now aged 11years and Dylan now aged 9 years old, both developed cafe au lait spots (birth marks) when they were12 weeks old which are the tell-tale sign of N.F1 as there is no affirmative clinical test. Also, they have severe dyslexia and a significant speech delay but they wont let any of these daily challenges stop them.

Their elder brother Charlie often takes a back seat and he is not just a big brother, he has also become their carer and one of their most important supports. He doesn't often if ever get the true recognition he deserves.

As a family the Buckley’s have gone and are still going through so much. Therefore, as Cian and all his brothers love the W5 and the Titantic and have always wanted to visit Belfast to see both places, Share a Dream surprised them with a magical break to this beatiful city.

Courageous David

David Hutch is an extraordinary courageous 10yr old boy who has suffered continuously since the day he was born fighting Vacterl Syndrome, a terrible illness which affects his heart and lungs.

When his Aunt Alison contacted Shay Kinsella of Share a Dream, Shay immediately wanted to help. Alison asked for a magical day for the entire family to remember and give them some special memories. David’s hero is Stampylongnose so if he too could appear on the day as David would be too ill to travel to see him.

On Sunday the 18^th of October David his brother Adam, sister Shannon and his parents Vanessa & David were collected by Limo and chauffeured to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown.

There they assited a very special party & concert with Boyband Taken, Jill O Neill School of Dance, characters Mickey, Donald, Woody, etc.

David, who was nominated for a Share a Dream National Children of Courage Award later in the year received an award along with his special dream, his hero Stampylongnose of Minecraft made an appearance to give David a special message!

A Puppy for Ben

Ben Herbert was only 5yrs old when he was diagnosed with High Risk B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

During this period Ben endured a huge amount. He underwent intensive treatment for the first 8 months, with gruelling results – he lost 10 lbs in 4 days, was hospitalised and placed on morphine as a result.  He endured 13 blood transfusions (each lasting at least 5hrs). Sometimes Ben was 6 days a week in Crumlin hospital for chemo therapy and took over 160 chemotherapy tablets a month to keep him alive and the doses increase as his height and weight increase.

Ben received his National Children of Courage Award in November 2014 from the Share a Dream Foundation and his dream come true was to have his own Black Female Labrador puppy, which he planned to call Molly. However, Ben couldn’t get the puppy until after his treatment finished in July 2015 and he was in remission so his mum felt his 10th birthday was the perfect time to surprise him!

Young Liverpool fan Adam has his dream come true

12yr old Adam O’ Shaughnessy from Limerick like most young boys his age adores football and his beloved club Liverpool FC.

However, Adam can’t play the game as much as he would like as he has a rare condition called Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP). There is no-one else in Ireland with the condition.

Adam’s teacher wrote to Share a Dream explaining that “the past year had been tough on Adam as he gets older and becomes aware of his limitations. He is often in pain as his body becomes gradually more and more encases in bone. Any trauma or fall could have catastrophic consequences. It’s nightmare trying to balance Adam’s desire to run and play soccer in the school yard and the need to protect him. Adam adores Liverpool FC and I think it would be lovely for him to go there and see his favourite team while he is still mobile.”

So, after hearing Adam’s story and his love for his beloved team Share a Dream got to work.

Adam and his mum Antoniette flew to Manchester to watch Liverpool take on Manchester United. He had Golden passes for the game and stayed over that night before returning home the following day.