Sisters planning fundraiser for injured Offaly cousin

Four sisters are planning a fundraising drive with a difference to raise funds for their Offaly cousin who suffered catastrophic injuries in a balcony fall in South America last November.

Eoin De Cleir, who is originally from Kinnitty, and whose family have a shop in the village, suffered life-changing injuries when he fell from a second-floor balcony during a visit to his girlfriend in South America.

The 41-year-old is currently undergoing an intensive course of rehabilitation at a clinic outside the Colombian capital of Bogota, but with medical expenses continuing to skyrocket, four of his cousins have now decided to organise a novel fundraiser to help with treatment costs.

The four sisters, Laila Smith, Tara, Jenny and Natasha Keogh, whose mother, Neasa De Cleir, hails from Kinnitty, have organised a ‘Here to S(h)ave the World’ fundraiser which will see each one of them undergoing various transformations to their hair.

Laila Smith, who lives in Portarlington, told the Offaly Independent this week that she and her sisters are hoping to host the event at the end of this month, but “final details have yet to be worked out.”

Natasha Keogh, who is an oncology nurse, is planning to donate her long hair to the Rapunzel Foundation, a charity which provides free wigs to children who have lost their own hair as a result of cancer treatment or other conditions.

Jenny is planning to dye her hair while Tara, who has dyed her hair a few times during lockdown, is prepared to have her head shaved!

Laila, on the other hand, is leaving her hair transformation up to public vote, and says she is prepared to consider “anything from a full shave to rainbow hair, and everything in between” to help her cousin, to whom she is “very close.”

“We have set up a Facebook page and people can make a donation there, and we are hoping to raise at least €2,000 to help with Eoin’s on-going medical expenses,” says Laila. “We know it’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but we just wanted to do our bit in the hopes that it can make a difference to Eoin’s ongoing medical treatment.”

Eoin De Cleir’s mother Ira, has moved from her home in California, where she has been living for many years, to be at her son’s bedside in Bogota, but medical expenses for his treatment have spiralled to over €50,000 and the family are struggling to meet the ongoing costs.

Laila Smith says Eoin’s girlfriend, Daniela, whom he was visiting at the time of his horrific accident, and her family, have been “hugely supportive” and she also paid tribute to the local community in Kinnity and in the greater Offaly area who have also shown their support “in many, many ways” she says.

Eoin De Cleir is currently on the waiting list for a place in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, but his cousin, Leila, says he is “not fit to travel home” at the moment due to his medical condition and will need to spend a number of months at his current rehab facility in South America.

Laila Smith says her cousin will need “ongoing medical treatment” and is hoping that their fundraiser will help to put the spotlight on the plight of the De Cleir family once again.

Funds raised earlier this year through a GoFundMe campaign –which is still active – have been exhausted at this stage, according to Laila Smith, and the family are urgently in need of funds to continue his rehab treatment in Colombia.

“It is a desperate situation, but we are hoping to do our bit to help in any way we can through our own fundraiser,” she says.

To donate to the “Here to S(h)ave the World” fundraiser please go to: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1044076323020246/