MALAHIDE girl Grace Causer is preparing to sacrifice her lovely locks in aid of a charity which helped her through a time of illness when she was a young child.
The 12-year-old will start secondary school in Sutton in September – sporting a shorter hairstyle so she can give back to Aoife’s Clown Doctors.
Grace, a pupil at Pope John Paul’s NS, set herself an initial target of e200 having experienced the magic of the clown doctors herself.
Her mum Diane told Dublin Gazette: “Grace was born with hand abnormality. Both hands were problematic, and she needed major surgery reconstruction.”
The youngster was born in Australia where the surgery was performed and the family returned to Ireland when she was three.
Her care was taken over by Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin where respiratory issues surfaced as Grace’s trachea hadn’t formed fully when she was in the womb.
Grace revealed: “When I was in Crumlin one time, Aoife’s Clown Doctors came in to visit us. They were magical and colourful, really funny, and they made us all laugh.
“One time, I saw them at Christmas, they all dressed up as elves and come into my ward with gifts and presents completely acting daft! We loved them.”
Aoife’s Clown Doctors was founded in memory of Aoife Hendricks from Malahide who sadly passed away at the age of five.
Diane explained: “The ‘clown doctors’ are professional actors who receive specialised training to go into children’s hospitals.
“They visit Crumlin and Temple St and will soon be going into other children’s wards around the country. They are really funny and engage with the children.”
Grace has continued to grow her long hair during the hot weather and has already surpassed her target tenfold – raising over e2,500 via GoFundMe.
Avid techie Grace proudly revealed: “So far, I’ve raised enough for 25 clowns and the fund is still open.”
No wonder mum Diane, dad Sheamus and brother Finbar are proud of her. Grace will have her hair cut once the first salon appointment becomes available.
The 12 inches of hair will go to another amazing charity, the Little Princess Trust Foundation, to be made into a wig for another little girl undergoing cancer treatment.
To donate See www.gofundme.com/f/grace-fundraiser-for-aoifes-clown-doctors.
