Longford children take part in music for Mannix
Two hundred pupils of the Evolution Stage School have come together with acclaimed tenor Paul Hennessy to record a charity song for Mannix Kane, a four-year-old boy from Kildalkey, Co Meath, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Mannix Kane is a former pupil of the Evolution Stage School which is run in Longford Town, Castlepollard, Kinnegad and in Kildalky, Co Meath.
"We were very upset when we first heard that Mannix was ill," says Tracy Carty of Evolution Stage School. "He is a great little lad. He was only three when he joined us and had a great interest. He always learned his lines and had lots of friends about him. He was a very happy little fellow in class."
Just after Christmas Mannix stopped going to class when he was diagnosed with Clear Cell Sarcoma stage four and two tumours were found; one on his kidney and one behind his right eye. He is currently undergoing treatment in Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin.
The brave four-year-old has just had one kidney removed earlier this week. His mother Noeleen says that the response they have received from the Irish public has been fantastic.
"It's going to be an intense couple of months. Mannix has been quite sick for the past few weeks but we're just hoping that the operation goes well," she says.
Unfortunately with Clear Cell Sarcoma there is only a 40 percent survival rate. To increase his chance of survival the Kanes hope to bring Mannix to the United States to take part in clinical trials that are not available in Ireland. This is expected to cost p400,000 and is the focus of the fund-raising.
Should Mannix's treatments prove unsuccessful, the funds raised will be donated to the Crumlin Children's Hospital Oncology Unit.
The Evoluntion Stage School CD is one fund-raising initiative and there were twelve pupils involved in recording the main track of 'To be a child again' with Paul Hennessy, one of the original Celtic Tenors.
Among them were Longfordians; Katie Gallagher (Ballymahon), Conor McLoughlin (Ballymahon), Emma O'Neill (Ballymahon), Sinead and Aoife Mulhern (Longford) and Amy Leigh Webb (Longford).
The song was written by local singer Charlie McGettigan and Thao Nguyen and recorded at Paul Gurney's studios in Drumlish.
The CD is priced at €5 and is available by calling 087-693 0267. The song is also available to download worldwide on iTunes. All monies from sales and downloads go to the appeal.
For full detials of the appeal visit www.mannixkaneappeal.org.
If you would like to sell CDs for the appeal, please contact Tracey on 087-693 0267 or email tracey@mannixkaneappeal.org.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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