Friends of Midlands Hospital fundraiser dedicated to grandad

A Tullamore woman is planning on taking part in the Rome half-marathon on October 20 to raise funds for the Friends of the Midlands Hospital Tullamore.

Maisie Currams is dedicating her fundraiser to the memory of her grandfather Declan Currams.

Declan worked as a painter with the maintenance staff of the Midlands Hospital for over 40 years.

When he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February of this year, he ended up getting a lot of treatment in the hospital.

Maisie says Declan got tremendous support and care from the staff and his former colleagues in the hospital, “something we as a family will be forever grateful for.”

Declan was also well-known for his enthusiasm for motorbikes. When his funeral was taking place, bikers from around Ireland came to line the streets and follow the funeral cortege.

Maisie says the Rome half-marathon will take place a week before her birthday. As this will be her first without her granddad, she thought this would be “a way we could still spend the day together.”

An iDonate.ie page has been set up, titled Fundraiser in Memory of Declan Currams.

Maisie had originally hoped to raise €1,500, but has doubled that already by raising over €3,000 so far. She hopes to continue with this success and raise as much as possible for the Friends of The Midlands Hospital.

Friends of the Midlands Hospital continuously raise funds for the Tullamore hospital to help replace vital equipment used in the day-to-day treatment of patients.