Newtowncunningham family raise over €12,000

The family of a six-month-old baby who contracted Strep B Meningitis have raised over €12,000 for the hospitals involved in his care.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Feb 2020, 14:29 BST
Ciara, Gareth and James Devenney pictured with the cheque for Hugh's House, Dublin. The same amount was donated to the Children's Ward in Letterkenny Hospital and Temple Street Children's Hospital.Ciara, Gareth and James Devenney pictured with the cheque for Hugh's House, Dublin. The same amount was donated to the Children's Ward in Letterkenny Hospital and Temple Street Children's Hospital.
Ciara, Gareth and James Devenney pictured with the cheque for Hugh's House, Dublin. The same amount was donated to the Children's Ward in Letterkenny Hospital and Temple Street Children's Hospital.

James Devenney, from Newtowncunningham, spent three weeks in hospital in Dublin in 2019 being treated for the condition.
He was just 18 days old when he became unwell and was initially taken to his GP before being transferred to Letterkenny Hospital.

He began to have seizures and he was then sent to Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin by ambulance where he was treated with antibiotics.

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During this time, his parents Gareth and Ciara were able to stay in Hugh’s House, a home away from home for the families of critically ill children.
James suffered brain damage as a result of the meningitis and it is not yet known how this will affect him in the future.

Ciara and Gareth say that so far all the signs are positive and James is a happy and very alert baby, who is always smiling.

The family wanted to give something back to those who saved James’s life and gave them support at the most difficult time and to raise awareness of Group B Strep Meningitis.

They organised a number of fundraising events, including a sponsored walk around Inch Wildfowl Reserve on Boxing Day.

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They raised a massive E12,975 and this was shared out equally between Letterkenny Hospital, Temple Street Children’s Hospital and Hugh’s House.

Ciara said: “We are overwhelmed with the support of our friends, family and community in helping us reach this amount.

“James is doing great and the doctors are very happy with his progress.”