Series of fundraisers for Longford man Ollie Cox

On July 25, the life of Clondra resident, Ollie Cox, changed forever. The valued member of the local community and father-of-two was the victim of a horrific motoring accident, suffering very serious life-changing injuries.

Upon medical examination, it was confirmed that Ollie had broken bones in his back, neck and shoulder, while also breaking his ribs. Ollie required surgery to try and repair his damaged vertebrae, however, his spinal chord was severed by his damaged T9 vertebrae.

This means that Ollie now has irreversible paraplegia, meaning he is paralyzed from the waist down. Ollie will now have to remain in hospital for a recovery period of three months, before being transferred to a rehabilitation center.

“Ollie Cox, a local man from the village suffered a horrific motoring accident which severed his spinal chord and he will be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life,” friend Stephen Burke told the Leader.

“He will need to spend 3 months in hospital and then undergo extensive rehabilitation.”

Father of two sons, aged 7 and 8, Ollie is also a loving husband to wife Jasmine, who is expecting their third child in October. Jasmine has had to give up work as she prepares for the birthing process and to care for Ollie and their two sons.

Stephen said: “He is a devoted husband and father of two young children, with a third on the way.

“His wife has had to give up work to care for him full time.”

This is what sparked the community of Clondra into action and they have now set up a gofundme fundraiser for the Cox family. With a target set at €200,000, the community have already successfully raised over €30,000.

Any funds raised will go to the family to help cover some of the enormous expenses the family will incur, as Ollie adjusts to life in a wheelchair. Ollie’s current home does not support wheelchair accessibility and will require costly modifications.

Ollie will also require specialist equipment to enable him to live his life as independently as possible with his injuries.

Stephen noted: “The local community set up this gofundme page to assist in covering the cost of his treatments, and the huge cost of renovating his home to allow him to live his new life in a wheelchair.”

Everyone is urged to support the Ollie Cox cause if at all possible, which you can do by searching Ollie Cox injury fund on gofundme.com.

“Every little helps and it will all go a long way,” said Stephen.

Organisers added: “We would be grateful for any assistance to ease the burden of these upcoming expenses.

“On behalf of Ollie, his wife and family, we thank you for your prayers, your help, your generosity and support.”

Members of the local community in Clondra and neighbouring Tarmonbarry have joined forces and set up a fundraising committee in aid of Ollie and his young family and, along with their gofundme campaign, they will be hosting a number of fundraising events over the coming months.

One such fundraiser is an 80s night in Magan's pub on Saturday, August 31, kicking off at 8pm.

Another is a vintage day and tractor/car run organised by Kiltrustan Sports club and running from Strokestown to Kiltrustan on Sunday, September 15, from 11am.

The fundraising team have also revealed that they will host a Golf classic at Longford golf club from Friday, September 20, to Sunday, September 22. Entry for teams of four is set at €200 and there will also be prizes and refreshments on the day.

For further information on the golf classic and to book a place, contact 0872300390, 0876466597 or 0860463154.

The Longford Leader will feature further updates on all of the upcoming fundraisers or visit the Ollie Cox trust fund Facebook page.