fbpx

Finn's Story

"Barretstown built our little boy back up again."

The Effect of Childhood Cancer

Childhood Cancer inflicts a terrible burden on children and their families, forcing them into a life full of dread and fear. It brings their normal life grinding to a halt, and replaces it with endless treatments and life-altering side effects. Finn is one of these children who has experienced the devastating effect of a cancer diagnosis. Read his story, and learn how Barretstown changes the lives children suffering from serious illnesses.

The Impact of Treatment

The Impact of Treatment

Finn's treatment was an incredibly difficult time for him and his parents. Finn was diagnosed in the Summer of 2021 and by mid-September that year, he’d lost the power in his legs, resulting in him needing a wheelchair to get around. Later that month, Finn suffered from a massive seizure caused by one of his medications, which resulted in a brain clot that affected the power in his hands, and his speech. At this point Finn could not have been more different than the boy he was just a few months previously.

Finn Comes to Barretstown

Finn Comes to Barretstown

Finn came to camp on his own in Summer 2022, nearly a year after his diagnosis. He was shy and nervous, not knowing what was to come. But when his mum Claire came to pick him up at the end of the week, she was picking up a different child. After so many difficult trips from Sligo for treatment, Claire says that the trip home from Barretstown was one of her happiest memories, hearing Finn recount the friends he had made, and all the fun he had. In her words, he came out of Barretstown 'looking about three feet taller'.

Hear from Finn's Mum Claire

Hear from Finn's Mum Claire

Finn's Mum Claire saw the change in Finn straight away when she came to collect him from our Summer Programme. Read in her own words the transformative effect it had on him and their family in her letter.

Claire's Letter 💚

You Can Make a Difference for Children like Finn Donate Today

``After going through the worst time of his life during the months beforehand - over one week Barretstown restored him.`` - Claire, Finn's Mum