The daughter of an ‘active’ retiree who loved ‘being out and about’ has kick-started her fundraising appeal after he dad was left paralysed in a ‘horrific accident’.
Aisling Lacey took to crowdfunding website GoFundMe to launch the fundraiser for her father, who now needs a specially adapted car for his wheelchair and needs.
It is understood that Mr Lacey was involved in a ‘horrific’ accident in 2022 which left him with catastrophic injuries, including being ‘paralysed from the neck down’.
ACTIVE
Ms Lacey wrote ahead of the fundraiser’s launch: ‘Prior to his accident he was a very active man, loved being out and about, loved attending cycle races with his family and friends and in later years, attending activities with his grandchildren.’
It is believed that Mr Lacey had retired in the years leading up to the tragic accident to take car of his wife who had been dealing with a MS diagnosis for over 30 years.
‘They were both thoroughly enjoying this chapter of their lives,’ Ms Lacey wrote. ‘They both loved being active, whether it was cycling, going for a walk downtown and popping out for a cup of coffee.
‘They just loved spending time together.’
Unfortunately, after the accident almost two years ago, Mr and Mrs Lacey’s future is looking ‘very different’.
‘Dad who was always such an independent man is now dependent on everyone for everything,’ his daughter wrote. ‘He is unable to go out and about or attend a lot of activities/events with his family.’
In the hopes of raising enough funds to purchase a ‘more suitable’ wheelchair-accessible car which can be used by her father, daughter Aisling said that the new vehicle who allow them to bring Mr Lacey out and ‘greatly improve his quality of life’.
She continued: ‘Any donation large or small would be gratefully appreciated and go a long way towards achieving our goal. Also, I would be so grateful if you could please help spread the word and share our fundraiser.’
With a target of €48,000, the fundraising appeal has raised almost €30,000 in under three weeks for Mr Lacey, almost 60% of the family’s target.
If you would like to learn more about Mr Lacey’s story or want to donate to the Kerry family’s GoFundMe appeal, you can do so here.
