One of the main ways in which Heart Children Ireland supports its members is to give parents the opportunity to contact others who may have a child with a similar heart problem. Often it is this contact which means so much to people. No matter how helpful and caring friends and family try to be it is difficult for them to understand how hard it can be to cope with the problems having a sick child can bring.
It can be a great relief to talk to someone who understands what you are going through, someone who knows how difficult it is to give your child constant medication, to see them struggle to keep up with their friends and classmates and who knows what it is like to kiss your child at the door of the operating theatre as they are taken into surgery.
No contact will be initiated without the permission of both families.
At present Heart Children have three active branches, Dublin, Cork and the Midlands. The branches organise meetings at various times during the year. They are a way of providing support at a local level. This support includes children's parties and other social events but most benefit is gained by giving people the opportunity to talk to other parents.
Ideally we would like to see more branches around the country; they could be run on a fairly informal basis, perhaps without regular meetings but giving people the opportunity to make contact (perhaps by phone) with other families in their area. |
