US president Joe Biden was described as having displayed the raw humanity of “any father who had lost his son” when he became visibly moved as he viewed a plaque at the entrance to Mayo Hospice which commemorates his late son Beau who passed away at the age of 46 in 2015.
Mr Biden had turned the sod at the site in Castlebar in 2017. Martina Jennings, CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice, said that viewing the plaque during his visit on Friday afternoon was also a special moment for the surviving son of Mr Biden, Hunter Biden, and his aunt Valerie Biden Owens who were also in attendance at the private visit.
Ms Jennings said that Mr Biden had the demeanour of any father who had endured the passing of a much loved child when he read the name of his late son on the plaque.
“You couldn’t be anything but touched (by his reaction). It was very emotional for all of us. In 2017 we promised him (Mr Biden) a special building for everybody that needed hospice services.
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“We wanted him to be proud of the building and the service to which the name of his late son was attached. That was important. He was a father who had lost his son when he got out of that car. This was a personal visit for him.
“President Biden and his team knew and respected that this is a working hospice, and that our priority has to be first and foremost the patients and their families. He is very warm. We saw that when he turned the sod in 2017. This is a family man through and through. His family values are to the fore of everything he does.”
Ms Jennings said that although Mr Biden was under pressure for time he still carved out precious minutes to chat with patients, their families and to the staff.
“He gave them the time that was needed. At hospices all the inhibitions we have and the masks are gone. And it is the basic things that matter. Family and close friends that are the most important things then. The President understands that.
“He (Mr Biden) is very close to Laurita Blewitt (his cousin) who works with us. She is a special lady. It was a huge commitment for him to become our patron. Today could not have gone any better. It couldn’t not have become more special. "
Meanwhile, huge crowds of people had turned out to greet the 46th US President who stopped for a chat with his distant cousin podcaster and hospice fundraiser Laurita Blewitt.
Both of President Biden’s parents were cared for at a hospice. Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation had made a promise to him that they would build a sanctuary where patients can complete their journey through life in an environment of dignity and love.
When he visited Mayo in 2017, Mr Biden told the Foundation that he was so grateful for the family and community support he and his family received for the eighteen months of his son Beau’s illness before he passed away at the age of 46 from cancer. However, he said that he often worried about people that didn’t have that support.
The hospice was officially opened in November 2017 by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly. In a video message to mark the occasion, Mr Biden thanked the organisation for honouring his son Beau.
He described the turning of the sod on-site as having been a deeply moving experience.
“I got to meet so many, doctors, nurses, counsellors and volunteers. In each of you I saw the values of your community.
“Love, selflessness, compassion – that’s what hospice represents. A place where dignity, empathy and support are shown to all. I know this special place will bring comfort to the proud of Co Mayo and Roscommon. For me, it will always have a special place in my heart. As many of you know, when my family travelled to Ireland we felt so much love and joy.
“It was also bittersweet, since it was a trip that I had hoped to share with our son Beau, to come here together and to touch the soil of our Irish roots and our family’s history and heritage.
“The fact that you have etched Beau’s name in memory into the tapestry of this hospice is something my family and I, and his children in particular, will never, ever forget.”
Quoting The Lake Isle of Innisfree by WB Yeats on his last visit Mr Biden said: “For all those who’ve come to this hospice in the future, I pray they and their families will find peace there, for peace comes dropping slowly, but it comes. It comes.”
In 2019 the Mayo Hospice was completed at a cost of €9.2 million all of which came from fundraised income.
The 14-bed specialist in-patient palliative care unit came in on time and under budget.
Services continue to be funded within the Mayo Hospice through fundraising.
Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation has been in existence since 1993 and exists to provide palliative care services to people with life limiting illnesses and their families in Mayo and Roscommon. Over the past thirty years the palliative care teams have assisted in the care of over 20,000 patients and their families.
Anyone who wishes to make a donation to Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation can do so by logging on to www.hospice.ie or by phoning 094 93 88666 or by calling to the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation office on the Main Street in Knock.