‘Claire would be so proud of you all’
Nuala Lynch, third from left, and Mary Doherty presenting a cheque to Buncrana woman Jennifer Doherty, who is a member of the Donegal branch of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Also included are representatives of the charity in Donegal, Eamon and Michelle Magee.
Guide Dogs fundraiser in memory of young Glengad woman
More than €10,000 has been raised for the ‘Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind’ in honour of a Glengad woman, who died three years ago.
Nuala Lynch, who helped run a charity shop in Carn recently, said it was a “privilege” to contribute to a good cause in memory of her daughter Claire.
She said Claire, who passed away in February 2017 aged just 37-years-old, had been a happy, healthy child at Ballymena National School in Glengad until, at the age of eight, her eyesight suddenly began to deteriorate.
Claire then continued her education at St Mary’s School for the Visually Impaired in Dublin, where she would spend the next nine years as a weekly boarder, learning to cope with life as a person of impaired vision.
Nuala says her daughter became an avid dog lover during this time and looked forward to having a guide dog of her own.
“She decided that when she was 18-years-old she would get herself a guide dog and the two would head off to explore America (Claire never did half measures!).”
“Unfortunately shortly before her 18th birthday she was diagnosed with epilepsy, which blighted the rest of her life. Within a few years her health had deteriorated further and she was confined to a wheelchair. She had been robbed of all her motor skills and required round-the-clock care.”
Nuala says Claire was a “model patient” and her death left all who loved her devastated. The family decided upon a Guide Dogs fundraiser to honour her memory.
To read the full story subscribe to our digital edition
