Little Kate Finnegan offered up her pocket money to help family
A kind hearted six year old from Rathdrinagh who only learned to ride her bike four weeks ago is taking on a charity cycle this Sunday to raise funds for a little girl living nearby who needs life saving treatment in America.
When six-year-old Kate Finnegan spotted a picture of Olivia Mulhern on her mum's Facebook feed she declared that she wanted to do something to help the one-year-old and even offered up the money she gets from helping her granddad on the family farm.
Not content with offering up her well earned pocket money, the soon to be first class student of Yellow Furze N.S decided she wanted to put her newly accomplished skills to the test and undertake a 5km cycle to raise funds for ‘A Better Life for Livie.’
The youngster has already raised an amazing €3000 and is hoping people will get behind her to raise even more for the worthy cause.
Earlier this year Livie Mulhern from Balrath was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1.
SMA is caused by a gene deletion which results in deterioration of Livie’s nerve cells connecting her brain and spinal cord to her body’s muscles. There is no cure and Livie has its most severe type.
Without any treatment, little Livie’s condition would continue to deteriorate and it would be unlikely that she would live past her 2nd birthday.
Her parents, Karen Vickers and Keith Mulhern have been trying to raise €2M to access the world’s most expensive drug in the hope that it will save their daughter’s life.
An incredible €786,507 has been raised so far and a further €1million has been pledged towards the cost from another family whose little boy is sadly no longer a candidate for the treatment.
Kate’s mum Aurelita Everard explained how it all happened:
“Kate was peeping over my shoulder a few weeks ago when I was scrolling through Facebook and she saw Livie’s picture and stopped me to go back and show her and asked who she was.
“So I told her all about Livie and how sick she is and how her family have been trying to raise money to send her to America to get some medicine that's very expensive.
“She asked could she give some of her money she earns from helping her granddad on his farm, herself and her younger brother Harry have been helping my dad Pat Everard on the farm at weekends and he gives them €5 each so I told her she could.
“She started asking me if there was anything else she could do and I explained to her she could do something and ask people to sponsor her she loved the idea and asked could she do a cycle.
“The stabilisers came of during lockdown and very happy with herself so we came up the idea of a 5km cycle.
“She is going to do it this weekend we are going to pick the exact day once we see what the weather is like fingers crossed for some dry time.”
Aurelita also mum to Harry (3) and Charlie (6 months) says the family is ‘shocked but delighted’ with the support Kate’s idea has received.
“So far she has raised about €3000 which is amazing but we would like to give a big push over the next few days and try get a few more euro for Livie, time is not on her side. They just a bit of help to get them over the end line they are so close.
“We don't know Olivia’s family only that they about ten minutes from our house.
“I made contact with their Facebook page to see if it would be alright to do it and they said yeah of course.
“My husband Brian will drop us over to Dean Hill in Beauparc which is about five kilometers from our house and from there she will cycle home and I will cycle alongside her.”
The Rathdrinagh mum says she ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of her thoughtful daughter.
“She went around the neighbours here herself with a sponsorship card asking for because I suppose I wanted her to explain what she was doing so she would understand herself too because figures and amounts mean nothing to a six-year-old.
“She has a really good heart, she always wants to help people, it’s just in her nature.
“Hopefully we can help make a difference to Livie and her family who need this money so desperately.’