Eilish’s Legacy Lives On Through a Charity with Heart

Inspired by his late mum Eilish Degnan’s strength and kindness, Whiteabbey man Gerald Degnan has spent the past 18 years raising vital funds to bring joy and support to children with life-limiting illnesses across Northern Ireland.

Mandi Millar reports

Co Antrim woman Eilish Degnan had just one son, but thanks to her incredible legacy, he’s helping hundreds of children with life-limiting illnesses.

In the last 18 years, Gerald Degnan (59), from Whiteabbey, has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds through the Eilish Degnan Children’s Foundation, which he and his late father John founded in her memory.

“Mum had an incredible spirit and a great sense of humour, even at her lowest. Even the doctors were surprised by how she coped,” says Gerald, who juggles a full-time job with running the charity too.

“Mum never had the best health but she wasn’t long retired when she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. How often do you hear that? People work hard looking forward to relaxing in their retirement only to be hit with something like this.

“Doctors decided to remove 90% of her stomach but warned us she mightn’t even survive the surgery and if she did it would only buy her a few months.

“In fact mum lived with cancer for the next 15 years before it spread to her liver and pancreas. It was just her sheer spirit that kept her going, that and her devotion to dad and me.”

Eilish had met Carrick man John at a local dance. They married and five years later Gerald made their little family complete.

The couple were close, even working together at a local meat plant before Eilish became a home help.

“They weren’t ones for big holidays or anything. Mum just loved her home and her family and maybe a wee run in the car,” says Gerald, a biker who spent weekends with his dad following the racing circuits around Ireland and the Isle of Man.

“I always loved Joey Dunlop but mum’s favourite was Robert Dunlop and, as a surprise, we arranged for him to attend a family dinner to mark five years from her big operation.

“Robert had been in a big crash but he still turned up even though he was in a bad way. And he kept in touch with mum after that too. That’s just the effect she had on people,” continues Gerald who, along with his dad, was Eilish’s main support, until that is John too was diagnosed with cancer and suffered two heart attacks which necessitated a double bypass operation.

“Dad actually died after one of the heart attacks but they resuscitated him thankfully. It was hard, though, for Mum to see him so ill when she too was dying.”

Towards the end though, when Eilish knew things could only end one way, she took Gerald aside.

“Mum always loved kids and she said to me, if anything happens me I want you to do something that’s going to help children,” says Gerald, who initially raised a few hundred pounds from biker friends when his mum passed, before deciding to dedicate that whole year to fundraising.

“I knew nothing about fundraising and I remember the first dance we organised only 15 people turned up. But you soon learn and there were 400 people at the next one!”

With over £2,000 in the kitty by the end of 12 months, John and Gerald decided to donate the money to an East Belfast boy who was very ill and whose story they’d heard about on UTV.

After that though they still had a few hundred pounds and when people carried on donating in Eilish’s memory, Gerald realised he needed to formalise things so initially set up the Eilish Degnan Cancer Foundation.

“After a couple of years we’d helped maybe a dozen families, helping them make memories by sending them to Disney, that sort of thing. But as time went on we wondered if we couldn’t help more kids,” explains Gerald, who then changed the charity’s name to the Eilish Degnan Children’s Foundation.

Now he works closely with the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children, providing treats for children there and their families as well as the staff.

“Our aim is simple. We want to raise funds to give kids suffering with life-limiting illnesses a brief respite from the daily burden of their debilitating diseases. We’ll organise day trips, holidays or even set up meetings with their heroes. It’s about bringing a little happiness into their lives,” says Gerald.

“It is full on at times for we have a shop too at our base in Kilroot Business Park which sells collectibles, vintage and retro items and we also collect Cans for Kids which we sell on to Bryson House.

“I did end up in hospital at one stage but I always remember my dad saying, when you’re facing a wall there’s always a way to the other side, you can go over it, under it or through it, and there’s usually nothing that a wee sit down and a cup of tea doesn’t sort out!

“We also have an incredible team of volunteers and last year raised about £30,000,” continues John, who received a BEM three years ago in recognition of his work.

“I remember thinking it was a scam when I got the letter and I even thought I’d lost the medal at one stage after I got it. I feel a bit awkward about it all to be honest because none of this is about me. It’s the children who are at the centre of everything we do.

“But there’s one wee girl I often think of when things are tough though. Cora was only 12 and knew she was very ill. I remember we were able to organise a big Easter hamper for her with eggs and an Easter bunny. Her mum told me later she’d said that was the best day of her life.

“Wee Cora’s gone now but if a child facing all that can still have the best day of her life because of a few Easter eggs then I can’t really complain.

“And when I see children and families benefitting it’s like winning the lottery. There’s just so much satisfaction. That’s my pay day.”