A huge thanks from Longford's Ollie Cox

Dear friends

On July 25 2019 our lives changed forever. I took my motorbike out for spin to enjoy the beautiful evening as I have done so often before.

What happened next has changed my life and my family's life forever. I sustained irreversible injuries. From that moment our lives were thrown into untold chaos.

I was taken to Mullingar hospital and then to the Mater in Dublin for five weeks then to Tullamore while waiting for a place in the NRH Dun Laoghaire.

To say I received excellent care is an understatement. I will be forever grateful to the consultants, doctors and nursing staff at each hospital for their care and compassion shown to both me and my family.

When being transferred to the Mater Dublin it was still unclear to us the gravity of my situation. At that time, my wife Jasmine was working full time and with two boys already at home, could only focus on a day to day basis.

Lucky for her, one phone call three days later, changed all that from a man who we have the pleasure of calling a true friend.

News of the accident had travelled fast and family, friends, neighbours and the wider community were all looking for some way to help as it became apparent when I eventually did come home it would be in a wheelchair and our home would have to be made suitable for me to continue family life.

With that a committee of what I can only describe as seven extraordinary people was formed. From then on as Jasmine describes it, it was whirlwind of fundraisers to start work on the house.

Not only the fundraisers alone transformed our house to what it is now, there was always a steady flow of trades people and non trades people who very generously volunteered their time and expertise to come and help when needed, both day and night to ensure I would be home again for Christmas.

This project would not have been possible without the help of a few very important men to whom I will be eternally grateful, who tirelessly pushed and managed this build to its completion and even now kindly give their time so willingly.

To say thank you to everyone who gave so generously of their time to the house, who attended fundraisers, donated materials to the house, organised events, sat on committees, sent Mass cards and well wishes, helped out in any small way at all seems inadequate and does not even come close to how grateful we are and how humbling it is to live in such a wonderful community, be surrounded by truly great family, friends and neighbours, you have all been a part of making our lives better.

Thank you,

Ollie Cox.

Overwhelmed by incredible community support

When news of Ollie’s accident emerged everybody in the village and surrounding areas wanted to do something to help, so a public meeting was called in early August. At that meeting the committee was elected, seven of us in total, myself Tony McKiernan, Liam Farrell, Niamh McPartland, Stephen McGuinness, Eoin Murtagh, Jacinta Tiernan and Jenny Regan.

With so many offers of fundraisers and donations we decided at our first meeting to have a further public meeting from which we put together a list of over a hundred volunteers wanting to help.

Every single fundraising event was a resounding success and brought the far reaching community together for many enjoyable days and nights whilst raising valuable funds.

The sponsorship and prize donations from local businesses was outstanding as was the turnout and volunteering for every single event.

I want to take this opportunity to thank every person that contributed to helping us achieve our goal. I would also like to thank the committee for all their dedication and hard work . We all wish Ollie, Jasmine and family the very best for the future.

Tony McKiernan

Chairman Ollie Cox Fund Committee

Pictured above: Ollie Cox Injury Fund Committee members from left: Stephen McGuinness, Eoin Murtagh, Jacinta Tiernan, Jenny Regan, Tony McKiernan and Liam Farrell (missing from photograph Niamh McPartland) pictured with the Cox family