Young County Roscommon woman presented with bursary
Síofra Thomas from Boyle receives the 2024 Paul Gillen Bursary from Padraig Gillen.
A young Boyle woman was presented with the 2024 Paul Gillen Bursary award at "The Beat Goes On" conference, organised by Heart Children, which took place in Dublin.
The bursary was presented to Siofra Thomas by Padraig Gilleran.
Aimed at young people and adults with congenital heart disease, and their families, the gathering took place as part of Global Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Month.
Paul Gillen was a young man from Ballyroan in Dublin. He lived his short life battling CHD but, sadly, Paul passed away suddenly in his early twenties. Grieving his immense loss, his family established the Paul Gillen Fund to support other young people with CHD. The PG Fund supports adolescents (age 16-25 years) who are making the difficult transition from the familiar environment of CHI Crumlin where they have received care from birth, to attending adult CHD care in the Mater Hospital. The fund aims to support adolescents with the practical and emotional challenges of starting independent life while managing their illness.
Almost 19,000 people are estimated to be living with congenital heart disease in Ireland with approximately 500-600 children born here with the condition annually.
For more information on Heart Children's supports and services, visit www.heartchildren.ie
