Kayleigh Carlin raises €23,000 in golf fundraiser

A fundraiser by a little Castlefin girl who suffers from a rare condition which makes her extremely sensitive to sunlight raised a stunning €23,000.

Five-year-old Kayleigh Carlin hosted a golf classic took at Ballybofey & Stranorlar Golf Club in early September.

The event has raised €11,500 each for St Mary’s National School in Castlefin and Action For XP.

Kayleigh, the daughter of Adrian and Lorraine Carlin, has xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a condition that means her DNA cannot repair the damage from exposure to UV rays.

Action For XP is a support group in England who cater for 100 people with the condition and helped provide Kayleigh with a protective mask.

Fundraiser for brave Castlefin girl Kayleigh Carlin (5)

Kayleigh Carlin, who goes into senior infants at St Mary's NS today, is the only person in Ireland diagnosed with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a rare condition that means she is allergic to sunlight.

must be completely covered with a protective face shield, gloves and wear ultra-violet protective clothing when exposed to UV rays. Every two hours, she has to have factor 50 suncream applied.

The condition is estimated to affect around one in one million people, but Kayleigh is the only person in Ireland who has been diagnosed. 

“Words cannot adequately describe what this means to us,” a spokesperson for St Mary’s NS said.  “Resources, evidence-based programmes and equipment we could only have dreamt of purchasing is now possible and our pupils will benefit for years to come.”

St Mary’s NS, largely through the endeavours of principal Sharon Murray, has had UV blocks installed on each pane of glass. During the previous school year, the blinds were down to prevent exposure to sunlight. Four UV-protected outdoor play areas are also being developed at the school.

Kayleigh, accompanied by her Little Ted bear, who also wears UV protective clothing and a mask, simply explained to her classmates: “I’m allergic to sunlight.”