Meet Harry
Maybe it was the way Harry struggled through school sports day that June.
Or that he just didn’t seem his usual chatty, energetic self. Because when she should have been packing for a long-awaited family holiday to Spain, Doireann, Harry's mum, was filling an overnight bag for a simple trip to A&E.
As if somehow she knew they weren’t coming back that day.
Watch Harry's Story
Lives Turned Upside Down
As medical staff asked query after query, each question carried such weight:
…Was his bright smile always slightly askew?
…How long had he walked with that little bit of a limp?
…Did he seem to slip or crash into things often?
He was a six-year-old boy! He seemed to crash into everything.
Their lives turned upside down in a span of two weeks. They were a family of five who went everywhere together. Now, for the next two years, they would be divided for treatments to shrink tumours that were hiding, and growing, on Harry’s brain.
Quickly, Doireann learned that the tumours on Harry’s brain were inoperable.
An Uncertain Future
On the day he was wheeled into the operating theatre, Harry would emerge having had a biopsy, with a shunt placed in his brain to drain fluid and relieve the pressure that had been building.
Days later, he began 85 long weeks of chemotherapy in the hope of shrinking the tumours.
Harry's father, Paul, struggled every day.
This was one battle he couldn’t jump in and fight for Harry. It left him feeling helpless in a way he had never experienced before.
Doireann's big fear was Harry’s transition back to school in autumn. His classmates had seen him leave junior infants as their friend Harry—always positive, always up for anything. Full of energy and laughter.
How would he be welcomed back?
The friendship and reassurance of Barretstown
All that summer, Doireann watched Harry grow weaker in his place on the couch as the treatments began to take hold. His little six-year-old body lost a full stone. And the shock on the faces of his sisters when his hair fell out was something she would never forget.
So she asked, “Could a Barretstown school education programme help ease Harry’s transition back to school?”
The answer came back a resounding “Yes!” and the remarkable difference it made could be seen clearly on Harry’s face. Armed with that bit of education around his journey, his classmates instantly understood: “Oh! That’s still our same Harry.”
Time at Barretstown
For Harry's sisters, the sibling camps became a place where every camper understood—where no one had to explain what it felt like. Volunteer Caras and activities placed sisters and brothers at the centre of it all, giving them the space to express what they were going through and helping them realise that, in sharing, they were also helping other young people their age to do the same.
When families arrive at Barretstown, Doireann often reflects that there is no need to think for a second. There is a medical team there, along with a mini-hospital in the MedShed, ready to care for every child’s needs. The volunteer Caras are always there to help with whatever is needed. Families know they will be fed, and that they will stay in safe, welcoming cottages with soft beds to sleep in.
Joy at the climbing wall
There was a span of time when he was so weak from the medicine and chemotherapy that they arrived at Barretstown with Harry in a wheelchair—he was simply too weak to walk. His sisters had already experienced the climbing walls and loved them, but Harry had never gotten the chance.
So there they were at the climbing wall at camp when one of the Caras came over and asked, “Harry, would you like to go up the wall in a chairlift?”
After months of worry, and of seeing Harry as the child who was always different to his peers, Doireann felt her heart lift at the simple but powerful inclusivity of that moment.
And Harry, of course, was delighted with himself and all the fuss. He was fitted into a special harness with belaying ropes, and he was gently hoisted all the way to the top of the climbing wall.
Anyone watching could see it clearly—Harry felt like a king.
Hear from the Cassidy’s - Doireann, Paul, Lilly, Anna, and Harry
From the hospital outreach and school education programmes to camps for Harry, their family, and his sisters, the generosity of Barretstown supporters allows the whole family to heal.
Please give if you can for another child like Harry this spring – another family upended by news of a serious illness diagnosis.
The Cassidy's Letter``When you give, whatever amount you choose, it’s magic.`` - Doireann, Harry's Mum Donate Today
Sprinkle a Little Magic
Your support for Barretstown will give another seriously ill child like Marlie the chance to experience Barretstown's life changing Therapeutic Programmes.
Barretstown offers free , specially designed camps and programmes for children and their families living with a serious illness - supported behind the scenes by 24 hour on site medical and nursing care.
"Our little Marlie had five surgeries in the space of a month... without Barretstown, I don't know how we'd have coped"Jenny, Marlie's Mum
Sprinkle a Little Magic
Your support for Barretstown will give another seriously ill child like Marlie the chance to experience Barretstown's life changing Therapeutic Programmes.
Barretstown offers free , specially designed camps and programmes for children and their families living with a serious illness - supported behind the scenes by 24 hour on site medical and nursing care.
€10 million
Needed in fundraising for 2026
More than 125,000
Campers Served
14
Illness Groups Served
Barretstown is a registered charity (CHY10715) in Ireland, RCN 20027759 and is also a registered charity in the UK (Charity No. 1046648) and a registered charity in Spain (Registration No. 28-1373 and NIF G84459064).