Cork patients call for local stem cell transplant unit amid travel stress

Cork patients have highlighted the stress and loneliness of travelling to Galway and Dublin for cancer treatment, urging the establishment of a dedicated stem cell transplant unit at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

Patient advocate Mags McCarthy is set to address the Dáil on Wednesday to press for the new unit.

Regina Tobin recounted relying on her children, who took time off work to drive her to Galway, despite their own young families and a daughter who was seven months pregnant. She described feeling vulnerable, physically unable to walk and burdened by the psychological strain of travel.

Other patients shared similar experiences: a man travelled by bus only to be told no bed was available and had to stay in a B&B; Belinda Northcote struggled to find someone to accompany her on short‑notice trips; Denis O’Donovan made regular train journeys to Dublin during the COVID‑19 lockdown, isolated from his family.

Paul Reidy’s story underscored the emotional toll when his father died at CUH while he was in Galway for a transplant procedure, leaving him feeling “lonely” and mentally down.

Patients argue that a local CUH unit would prevent such hardships and ensure equitable access to life‑saving treatment across the region.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Jonathan Borba / Pexels.