Heaslip Lends Support To Trinity Med Day
Trinity Med Day students were joined by Leinster and Ireland back rower Jamie Heaslip to launch the well-known and loved college charity fundraising day which will take place throughout Dublin on Friday (November 7).
Trinity College medical students are appealing to the general public to support their fundraising efforts to collect monies for two well deserving Irish causes – The Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons, AMNCH Tallaght and the Acute Stroke Services, St James’s Hospital.
They are also keeping up their annual tradition of supporting the Trinity Access Programme.
The committee is delighted to have Jamie Heaslip, the Leinster and Ireland number 8 and former Trinity player, on board as this year’s patron.
“We are really looking forward to an action packed day,” said Med Day Chairperson Danielle McCollum.
“A day that brings the entire medical student body together in order to help our teaching hospitals.”
Brainchild of former Trinity med student Alan Watts back in 2002 – Med Day 2008 is being run by 4th year Trinity medical students.
Up to 550 students will take to the streets of Dublin on November 7 to collect funds for the chosen beneficiaries.
A Health Screening service, open to the general public, will also take place on campus with the generous support of Pfizer.
This year’s funds will help equip The Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons AMNCH Tallaght.
This is a cause close to the students’ hearts, due to the sudden passing of their close friend and class-mate, Eamon O’Coinne, at the end of their first year.
Michael Greene from the Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons spoke about the importance of Trinity Med Day support.
“Every year over 50 ‘apparently’ fit and healthy young people die in Ireland from undiagnosed heart conditions,” he said.
“The support provided to The National Screening Centre by Trinity Med Day students will help raise awareness about sudden cardiac death in young people and also contribute towards families and individuals receiving evaluation without financial cost at the National Screening and Counselling Service, Tallaght Hospital.”
“We are delighted with the support of Trinity Med Day,” said Dr J. Harbison, Consultant Stroke Physician and Geriatrician at St. James’s Hospital.
“Stroke is the commonest cause of adult severe physical disability in Ireland. It will affect one in five of us in our lifetime and on any day of the year we care for about 50 people with stroke in St. James’s.
“With these funds we will be in a position to purchase high dependency beds which will enable us to care for these patients with safety, dignity and comfort.”
Med Day has raised in excess of €;350,000 since it started in 2002. Each year, monies collected go towards well deserving projects in Dublin Hospitals.
The High Risk Breast Cancer Clinic, AMNCH Tallaght and the Intensive Care Unit, St. James’s Hospital both benefitted from Med Day 2007’s fundraising efforts which culminated in an impressive total of €;65,000.
If you would like to support Trinity Med Day 2008, please log on to www.tcdmedday.com to make an online donation or keep an eye out for the students in their orange Med Day T-shirts as they take to the streets on Friday.