Sofia is our beautiful 6-year-old daughter — a happy, energetic little girl who loves to play with friends, laugh, and try new things. Earlier this year, she was at home practicing handstands when she hurt her neck. At the time, we thought it was something minor, just a pulled muscle. We brought her to the Care Doc, who reassured us it was likely the same, but gave us a referral to the hospital just to be safe. We went to Tallaght Children’s Hospital, and after spending the day there, Sofia was referred on and admitted to Crumlin Children’s Hospital to see orthopaedic specialist.
A CT cervical spine was performed and showed rotatory subluxation at C1-C2. The orthopaedics noticed cerebellar signs with pass-pointing ataxia and dysdiadochokinesia. Later that week, Sofia had an MRI brain scan performed which showed a large brain tumour. Our world stopped. A week later, on the 6th of February 2026, Sofia underwent brain surgery and was diagnosed with medulloblastoma WHO grade 4.
Following surgery, we were told she would need further treatment — proton beam radiation therapy and a chemotherapy afterwards. We were offered a place in London for proton beam therapy, and suddenly we were faced with the reality of leaving home for at least six weeks.
The emotional weight was already overwhelming, but the financial worry added another layer of stress. Living in London for that length of time felt impossible for us. But then everything changed for better.
A key worker in Crumlin put us in touch with the Gavin Glynn Foundation. We hadn’t even reached out ourselves when John, the CEO, personally contacted us. He took the time to speak with us, asking about Sofia and how we were coping. His kindness, compassion, and genuine care immediately put us at ease. It meant so much that he reached out directly — it showed us the kind of people we were dealing with.
From that moment on, the Foundation lifted a huge burden from our shoulders.
They organised and paid for our flights, transfers, and accommodation — not just for our initial trip to London to meet the team and prepare for the radiation, but again for the full six weeks of treatment. They even provided generous financial support for our daily expenses both times, something we never expected.
Because of this incredible support, we don’t have to worry about money. We can focus entirely on what matters most — Sofia.
We are now in our second week of treatment in London, and knowing that everything is taken care of allows us to be present for our daughter every single day.
We are forever grateful to John, Jayne, and everyone at the Gavin Glynn Foundation. Their kindness, generosity, and dedication to families like ours during the most difficult times is something we will never forget.
We truly would not be here without them.
