Hello,
My name is Seán O’Conri and I’m 7 and a half years old. When I was a baby I had Ohtahara syndrome and had seizures that hurt my head a lot. My mammy said that she was very scared because she didn’t know how to help me, but then St. Catherine’s Services called her and made everything ok.
I go to St Catherine’s Special School and it is the best school in the world. They got me a cool wheelchair that does lots of things and is blue which is good because I am a boy. They have a bus which collects me in my chair from my house every day and brings me home again after school safe and sound and the driver is very kind and funny.
My teachers do lots of things with me to help me learn how to do things for myself and my mammy says they are angels and I think she is right. They bring me swimming and help me paint pictures and they even made special shoes to make my legs big and strong. Sometimes my mammy cries when she sees the cards and pictures I bring home for her and daddy that I made in school with my teachers but she always says it’s ok that she’s crying a happy cry.
I think that without my school I would go crazy because I would have to sit at home with nothing to do but listen to my sister who is very loud and makes me watch Barbie instead of Spongebob Squarepants which is my favourite show. Sometimes my teachers play the music from the Spongebob movie when I get upset at school and that always works. I think it’s brilliant that they know me so well and love me almost as much as my mammy does.
That is why I am very sad right now because I might have to say goodbye to some friends because St. Catherine’s may not have enough money to keep all the services going. St. Catherine’s is in a lot of trouble right now and has to stop a lot of the lovely things that they do which is very scary. I think that people who are heroes, like the people in my school, should not have to be in trouble like this just because of silly money. But they are, so they really, really need your help.
I’m going to write to Santa this year and ask him to help instead of giving me a present. Maybe he will tell other mammies and daddies in Ireland about St Catherine’s so they can help too, I hope so.
Thank you for reading my letter
Love from
