Wonderful life singer Colin Vearncombe spent 16 days in a coma at Cork University Hospital following a car accident earlier this year.

Professionally known as ‘Black,’ the international star was driving from his home in Schull to Cork Airport to catch a flight to Edinburgh. He never regained consciousness and passed away on 26 January. At his funeral mass, warm tributes in words and song were paid to the father of three who had made Ireland his home.The family asked for donations in lieu of flowers to an organisation that offered them a “home from home” through their 16-day bedside vigil for their loved one.

Heartfelt appreciation

The organisation was Brú Columbanus, a 26-bed purpose-built facility providing relatives of seriously ill patients with a place to stay. The facility is free, family-orientated and funded entirely by donations.

At the singer’s funeral service in Schull, candles flickered in the windows as warm tributes were paid. Among the speakers was Steve Shearon, a lifetime friend of the singer’s.

“When Colin was in a coma – he never came out of it – we were staying at Brú Columbanus. It’s this wonderful facility, where we could share our grief and suffering, our hopes and dreams together,” he told mourners.

“It’s all free for the people who need to stay there. We were there for 16 days and it was this wonderful comfort, this great facility run by volunteers. On behalf of Colin, I want to say thank you.”

People are so grateful for the service

This appreciation is typical of families using the service, according to Anne-Maria O’Connor, fundraising and events manager at Brú Columbanus.

“Every day we get thank-you letters, people are so grateful for the service, so relieved, I think, that it exists. It’s one less thing for them to think about when their relative is unwell,” she says.

The house is in Wilton, just a stone’s throw from Cork University Hospital (CUH). A major regional cancer care centre, CUH also houses a specialist neurology department, bringing victims of cancer, stroke or brain injury from right across Munster. The cost to family members seeking to be close to their loved ones during challenging times can be an unexpected burden, Ms O’Connor says.

“The cost of a hotel can be significant. Plus it’s a totally different environment. You have people on their holidays or on business coming and going and for a family struggling with a seriously ill relative, their world could be falling down around them, especially if someone is terminal. But here everyone is very much in a similar situation,” she says.

A home from home

The 70 volunteers aim to lighten the burden for families plunged into difficult times, providing practical and emotional support.

The front door leads into a large light-filled atrium, with open fire and seating area, and a ‘comfort space’ for guests to sit and talk in the evenings. A shared kitchen facility cuts out the cost of eating out for the duration of a loved one’s hospital stay, along with laundry facilities and a welcome service whereby a volunteer is ever present to provide advice on local bus routes, give directions or just be there to listen at the end of what can often be an emotionally charged day.

All 26 bedrooms have been recently refurbished and the Brú Columbanus team are proud of the service they offer.

“We have new curtains, duvets and carpets in all the rooms, it’s almost like a four-star hotel, we are very proud of it,” Ms O’Connor says.

Purpose-built accommodation

Each bedroom has a double and single bed and there are four family suites, which offer a room with a double and single bed and a separate annex off it with an additional double bed, facilitating up to five people.

“Often when people hear of us they have a picture in their minds of something like a three-bed semi but this is purpose-built accommodation very much geared toward providing a service,” Ms O’Connor says.

The building includes meeting rooms hired out to area groups such as the local bridge club and the revenue generated covers almost a third of the organisation’s running costs, which amount to €300,000 annually, according to Ms O’Connor.

“We have yoga groups who come in and local businesses use it too and outside of that we are completely reliant on donations and fundraising,” she says.

Invaluable service

The €5.5m ‘home from home’ opened in 2005. The name Brú comes from the Irish for hostel. It was established under the auspices of the Knights of Columbanus with the support of the Department of Health, the HSE and Cork City Council, along with voluntary contributions. The idea was inspired by an Irish boy, Aaron Kiely, who at just 11 months had to travel to Bristol hospital for cancer treatment. (His family were living in the UK at the time.) On arrival the family were given keys to accommodation named ‘Click House’ to use during the period of Aaron’s treatment. When the child’s uncle, Wilton-based Garda Superintendent Charlie Barry was approached by the Knights of St. Columbanus, who had sold their city centre premises and were keen to use the funds to develop a community project, he suggested a replica service in Ireland.

Focusing on the positive

Brú Columbanus has been providing an invaluable service for relatives of seriously ill patients at CUH, Mercy University Hospital, South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, the Bons Secours and Marymount Hospice. In order to stay, families must live 30 miles or more from the hospital in which their loved one is a patient and they must be referred directly by ward staff. While most guests stay an average of two weeks, the duration can range from one night up to nine months.

With Cork University Maternity Hospital across the road, mothers who give birth to premature babies are regular guests at Brú Columbanus according to Ms O’Connor.

“We get mums of babies born at 24 weeks, for example, and they will have stayed here right up until baby is discharged. It’s so important for bonding and for mum to be close, to be able to be there in five minutes if there is a call at 2am, it’s a big deal for a new mother,” she says.

“We focus on those positive stories, you have to do that. A family might be told there is no hope but then they end up taking their loved one home, there is great joy in seeing that. It’s a very positive environment because people are so grateful to be close to their patient, to have that one less thing to worry about at a time when it’s needed.”

Brú Columbanus employs two full time staff and one part time administrator. Visit brucolumbanus.com to support upcoming fundraising events.