Laois family to walk 100km from Dublin hospital in brother's memory

The family of a young Laois man who died recently after major surgery is planning an epic walk from Dublin, and a fun night of entertainment, all in his memory.

A dad of two young children, Paddy Fitzpatrick from Abbeyleix sadly died last May following complications after a heart and lung transplant.

Paddy lived in The Heath but still worked in his home town of which he was very proud, as a popular barman in Benny’s and in The Horseshoe. 

Paddy was a beloved dad to Darcie, 9, and Oisín, 7, and is sadly missed by them, by his partner Pamela, his five brothers and sisters, Sharon, Sandra, Brian, Ray and Claire, and his heartbroken parents Pat and Claire Fitzpatrick.

His siblings have decided to raise money for the Mater Hospital Foundation, where Paddy had received decades of care. 

They plan to walk together in May from the Mater Hospital all the way to the family home in Abbeyleix, a distance of 100km, over just a couple of days.

There will also be a big night of entertainment in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel on April 16, with comedy, magic, live music and a big raffle sponsored by Laois businesses. 

A justgiving fundraiser has begun with a target of €10,000. See link below story. 

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His younger sister Claire told the Leinster Express more.

“We are all heartbroken. But the care that Paddy got in hospital has made us more aware of the need to give back to charities like this. Every cent counts,”  she said.

Paddy was born with a congenital heart condition that required a lot of time in hospital as he grew up. He was a patient in the Mater for over 20 years, and before that,  at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin.

He never let his health issues stop him from embracing life with joy.

A big Liverpool FC fan, his funeral cortege was lined with friends whom he had travelled with to Anfield over the years. 

Paddy was a keen amateur photographer too. He also had spread his wings during his short life and travelled all over Spain, Japan, Canada and Australia, always with camera in tow.

“Nothing held Paddy back. He was a fun loving guy who was great craic, always up for the laugh and is deeply missed by us all,” Claire said.

On their justgiving fundraiser called Paddy’s 100k Your Way Because Life Maters, his brothers and sisters explain what happened.

“In 2019 Paddy received the news that his condition had deteriorated and his best chance of survival was to have a heart and lung transplant. 

“As with all  his challenges in life Paddy put on a brave face and kept smiling. He focussed his energy on his future and the dream he had of being there to see his two beautiful children grow up. 

“In April 2021 Paddy was very fortunate to receive the call that a donor had been found. He was excited that he now had a chance for a new life. He fought bravely for many weeks but unfortunately Paddy lost his battle on May 3rd, 2021.”

The siblings are already hitting the roads in training for their epic walk along the old Dublin road. 

The big night in Abbeyleix promises to be full of the fun that Paddy would have loved.

“We are delighted to announce that Jason O'Callaghan will be joining us. His show mixes fun, magic, pick pocketing and comedy hypnotism. Also joining us are the hilarious 3 Bucks Left, comedy legends with humorous stories of life in Castletown. To end the evening we have live music from Beats Working which will continue to the early hours,” Paddy’s siblings write.

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They also thank all of our entertainers for giving their time for free, and their local hotel for providing the facilities. 

“Planning all this has brought us closer together. It is also a way for us to say thank you to the donor’s family for giving him the chance of life. We want to highlight as well the importance of being an organ donor, and of donating blood, because Paddy had numerous blood transfusions after his transplant,” she said.

Tickets are €25, available from The Abbeyleix Manor Hotel.

Donate to the Fitzpatrick family's fundraiser for the Mater Foundation here. 

Follow the family's progress on a special Facehttps://www.facebook.com/Paddys-100K-your-way-because-life-matters-102326982388209/book page here.