Inishowen school children urge better support for amputees in letters to minister

Children from an Inishowen primary school class have been campaigning for better support for amputees by the Irish government. 

Schoolchildren from Glenmakee National School in Carndonagh have written poignant letters to the Minister for Health in their appeal for the provision of prosthetic limbs for amputees.

The third and fourth class children wrote to the Minister for Health in support of Tiarnan O’Donnell, who has just won gold in the World Championships, and whose Dad Paddy is from Urris. 

“We were learning about the theme of resilience so I talked to the children about Tiarnan’s story because of his Donegal connections,” said their teacher, Aisling McCarron, a student teacher at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick.

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Tiarnan had to campaign to get a government funded prosthetic limb to continue training after the prosthetic leg he used in the Paris Paralympics broke last summer. 

He went on to win gold for Ireland in rowing at the World Championships on 14 May this year, having been awarded a new prosthetic leg by Sport Ireland. 

Having had his leg amputated in London in 2018, an EU agreement meant his parents didn’t have to pay for his first prosthetic. However, the Irish system is not so generous and he was told he would have to find €67,000 to fund his next limb after his prosthetic broke. 

“I got home from Paris,” said Tiarnan, “on a high at being part of the Paralympic movement and realising a peak moment of my life which was to represent Ireland on the biggest stage, to one week post games not being able to leave the house because my prosthetic wouldn’t work.

“Coming back home from the airport, I couldn’t even carry my own bags. My knee would either buckle from underneath me or lock up and I’d trip. I was a walking hazard.

 “This is what [Irish] amputees have been experiencing their whole lives, and only because of who I am, I got looked after.”

“The prosthetics available in Ireland are just metal joints. People manage with them, but they have no real functionality,” said Tiarnan.

A letter to the Minister for Health from a pupil of Glenmakee National School

Tiarnan believes a good quality prosthetic is an investment - his prosthetic will last for approximately nine years.

“All people want to do is live a normal life. And if you give them this prosthetic, they’re not on disability benefit, they’re out in the workforce paying taxes, and on top of that they lead a normal social life so they’re not slipping into issues with their mental health,” said Tiarnan.

“Initially, our class set out to learn more about disability, inclusion, and the Paralympic games. We became increasingly aware of the unique and often severe challenges faced by amputees in Ireland, especially regarding access to prosthetics,” said student teacher Ms McCarron.

“Through our research, we learned that in Ireland, prosthetics are means tested, which creates significant obstacles for many amputees. Some of the individuals we learned about and spoke to shared their personal struggles with securing and maintaining a medical card to cover essential healthcare needs. The children were particularly shocked to hear that many amputees face the possibility of losing this vital support and are sometimes forced to self-fund, crowdfund, or fight legal battles to obtain prosthetic limbs. 

“Furthermore, the students were deeply affected to learn that Ireland is the only country in Europe that does not guarantee state provision of prosthetic limbs past the initial one. 

“Hearing about people like Éanna Kelly, a young amputee who has been vocal about this issue, and others who have had to resort to crowdfunding or self-funding opened their eyes to the serious gaps in support for amputees, and sparked a strong sense of compassion and a desire to take action.

“Children have a strong sense of justice, and they are very quick to agree that this isn’t right.

The children had the idea to write to the Minister for Health about the issue. 

“As their teacher, I am incredibly proud of their empathy and commitment to advocating for change. Like Greta Thunberg, when a child speaks out and calls out the government, it can be very powerful,” said Ms McCarron.