Newbridge woman launches brilliant fundraiser to give back to Mater Hospital staff who saved husband's life

A Newbridge woman is giving back to the Mater Hospital to thank them for their efforts in saving her husband's life almost three years ago.

Declan Bradshaw, who lives with his wife Angeline in Newbridge, contracted a bout of swine flu in early 2014. The influenza that became an epidemic during the middle of this decade swept across Ireland last winter, with a number of deaths reported in various hospitals all over the country.

Declan was brought to the Mater Hospital after being diagnosed with the disease, and the special lung failure treatment he received whilst there was critical in saving his life. Angeline is keen to give back to the hospital that saved the life of her beloved husband, and she has teamed up with country singing sensation Nathan Carter to do so.

The Mater Hospital Foundation is offering one luckyperson the incredible chance of winning a VIP private meet-and- greet for two people with country music sensation Nathan Carter in the INEC Killarney on New Year’s Eve, followed by tickets to the hotly-anticipated concert that night. The prize also includes a 2-night stay in the luxury 4* Arabutus Hotel in Killarney.

Nathan has generously provided the tickets for his 31 December gig along with the meet-and-greet to support the Mater Hospital Foundation to raise vital funds for patient care. Toenter, people should visit the Mater Hospital’s website (https://materfoundation.ie/nathan-carter-raffle) where they can purchase tickets for the online raffle for €5 each. Entrants can nbuy either 1 ticket for €5, 2 for €10, 4 for €20, or any amount of tickets of their choice.

All of the proceeds from the raffle will go towards supporting Critical Care Medicine in the Mater Hospital. Around 2,800 people are treated for life-threatening illnesses in the Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Unit each year and the public’s support is needed now more than ever to ensure the Critical Care staff have the best equipment and facilities possible.

“My husband contracted swine flu in early 2014 and he nearly died. He underwent specialised lung failure treatment (ECMO) in the Mater ICU for many weeks where it was really touch and go. As his lung function slowly improved, he couldn’t eat or walk for months and had serious rehabilitation to do. The Mater Critical Care staff literally saved his life and we just had to give something back. Nathan was so wonderful then to give tickets and meet with fans to support me support the Mater Hospital,” said Angeline.

Head of Fundraising at the Mater Foundation, Tom Hickey, added, “Angeline’s drive to give back to the hospital that saved Declan is truly amazing. The Critical Care team in the Mater deal with life-threatening cases each and every day, and her support and Nathan’s very generous gift mean that we at the Mater Foundation can continue help them improve this care into the future, for people just like Declan who attend the hospital.”

The online raffle opens at 8 am on 9 November and closes at midnight on 11 December, with the winner being announced on the Mater Hospital Foundation’s Facebook page on Tuesday 13 December. Entrants must be over 18 and full Terms and Conditions – including important information on the prize – are listed on the Mater Foundation’s website.