When we can help others in the hope that they wouldn’t lose a child, it lifts us up
AMID the tragedy of Dillon Quirke’s passing in August 2022, his family have found purpose in the foundation set up in his name.
Cardiac screening could have saved Dillon’s life had he been exposed to it prior to that fateful evening as he captained C lo no ult yr os sm ore against Kilruane Macdonaghs.
The Dillon Quirke (left) Foundation is actively making sure that others are.
Dan Quirke says he spends 14 hours a day, seven days a week at it. Over the next 12 weeks, some 8,000 teenagers all over the country will be screened as a result of the foundation’s work, which has the backing of just about every sports body in Ireland.
“We said we’d start it up to try and make awareness. We said we’d get the GAA to back us which, unfortunately, at the top level, they didn’t really back us at the time.
“But we ploughed our own furrow as best we could and it just started to grow legs and it’s actually become a beast, which is brilliant.”
Mayo footballer Saoirse Lally (inset) says she owes her life to this beast. She underwent screening in February and a defect was spotted, resulting in her undergoing a procedure. Within a couple of weeks she was back on the field.
“We’ve had plenty of them stories in the last number of months so it’s a great success really,” adds Dan.
“It does lighten the load because not a day goes past that we don’t think of Dillon obviously. It’s only 18 months, it’s very new in our minds.
“You can’t explain it to anybody unless they’ve lost a child but when you can help other parents in the hope that the same thing wouldn’t happen to them, it does give a huge lift to us as a family and the foundation and we’re thankful for all we can do.”
And they’re only getting started. “What we would hope for is that when you start secondary school, you’re screened.
“Even if you don’t play sport, whatever you do, get young boys and girls screened at an early age and then they’ll be aware of it and their families will be aware of it and then you can take it from there but it is so important.
“We’re losing two lives a week to sudden adult death syndrome.
“It’s ridiculous and we need to make a change and we need help from the Government and that’s where we’re going.
“So this thing, we’re going nowhere.”