Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT A FUN NIGHT FUNDRAISER IN
AID OF COURTENEY LEAHY GEASLEY WILL BE HELD IN THE CLUBHOUSE ON
TUESDAY 16TH OF MARCH @7.30
THE THEME OF THE NIGHT WILL BE "GREEN"
where people are requested to turn up
for the tennis and the entertainment on the night dressed in green .
ENTRY IS €10 FOR THE NIGHT AND ALL PROCEEDS
FROM THE NIGHT WILL BE GOING TO COURTENEYS FUND.
TRAD MUSIC AND CEILI THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT
PLEASE COME ALONG AND SUPPORT THIS WORTHY CAUSE
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM BEHIND THE BAR OR ANY COMMITTEE MEMBER.
Anybody wishing to donate any prizes for draw on the night can
contact the bar and leave details.
Meet 10 year old Courteney Leahy Geasley.
She may look like any other 10 year old in the photo but Courteney suffers from Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome which is also known as 22q11.2 Syndrome (i.e.) part of the 22nd chromosome is missing. There are many medical conditions caused due to this including: Cardiovascular Defects, Feeding Difficulties, Gastrointestinal Problems, Immune System Problems, Growth Problems, Palatal Anomalies, Kidney Differences, Hearing Problems, Low Calcium, Autoimmune Disease, Spine Differences, Cognitive and Speech Delay, Behavioral Differences to name a few.
Courteney spent the first 3 months of her life in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin, followed by 5 months in Cork University Hospital in Cork. Even after discharge she had frequent hospital stays due to pneumonia because she would aspirate her saliva. These stays thankfully decreased as she got older and started to swallow her saliva.
Courteney has a lot of problems (ie) ear, low immunity, low muscle tone, hormonal problems etc, and is constantly being monitored by her doctors in Cork and Dublin.
Due to great response we received fundraising in 2005 we were able to bring Courteney to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she had extensive tests carried out. Among others things, they informed us that Courteney has a Vascular Ring (ie) vein coming from her heart, around her windpipe, and back to her heart. This may need operation as she grows if it tightens.
She has had various operations, including one to prevent reflux (Nissens Funduplication), an operation to insert feeding tube, one to repair a submucous cleft palate and another to make a pharyngeal flap.
Her most severe problem is that she was unable to even swallow her own saliva and had to be suctioned a lot. She also needed a monitor at home as she would stop breathing every few minutes, this eventually stopped. She had to have a feeding tube inserted and is still being fed this way. She is in constant pain from the site around the tube which gets sore, acid leaks from her stomach which causes burning and she has granulomas which bleed.As she got older she was able to swallow her saliva and now can even have a few spoons of yoghurt etc so we are hopeful that she can learn to eat at The Children’s Hospital in Graz, who have a great reputation for their feeding programme. Other than a word or two she is unable to talk due to palatal palsy but we also hope that down the line this to will be rectified, especially if her muscles get stronger when she learns to eat.