When we were in Cape Cod Hospital, trying to get Pádraig home, there was an endless litany of things to get, things to arrange, things to find out about, things… One thing that was really important was to find him an admitting consultant, and then a free bed in ICU. Through the help of caring friends, we managed to find a consultant that was happy to admit Pádraig to Beaumont Hospital. Now, how do you find an empty bed in an Intensive Care Unit that the hospital would keep empty for at least a day, the time we needed to get the special air ambulance to Hyannis Airport, get Pádraig on board, and fly him to Dublin? When we rang ICU admissions, they were checking, and checking, and checking. We heard that there was another patient expected from Thailand who was to be admitted first, but then news came through that his transport back home to Ireland was delayed. So we got the go ahead to bring Pádraig home.

A few days later, we met the family of Robbie Robinson in the ICU. Robbie had been brought back to Ireland just after Pádraig had arrived back home. There was an instant bond between our two families, especially between Robbie’s mother and Pat. All of us fearing the worst. Today, a year ago, Robbie died. And in an act of incredible generosity, Robbie’s mother said to Pat that she wished nothing more than Pádraig to survive. None of us will ever forget this. In this moment of greatest grief and desperation for a mother, she thought of the other mother’s son.

We wish, from the bottom of our hearts, that Robbie’s mother and family have found a way to deal with the terrible tragedy of Robbie’s accident and passing on. No parent will ever get over such horror. But there must be someone somewhere that recognises the unbelievable generosity and love by this mother who in her darkest hour did not give in to her own tragedy, but instead shared her love and hope with this other mother she had met in the ICU waiting room.