A fundraising drive is under way to pay for the repatriation of the body of a five-year-old girl who died in Cork earlier this week back to her native Poland for burial.
Maja Glowacka, a junior infants pupil at Scoil Mhuire Naofa primary school in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, died in the early hours of Tuesday from a suspected infection. A medical inquiry in to her cause of death is under way.
The HSE initially issued a letter to parents at the school about a possible case of meningitis. However, the disease has been ruled out and other causes of death are being explored.
Family friend, Sofia Lankiewicz, spoke of the devastation felt by the family and friends of the little girl. A GoFundMe page has been established to raise funds for the repatriation of the body to Poland.
“It is so tragic. I have known her mother for so many years and I also have a daughter who is five. You just can’t imagine what they are going through. One day she is fine and the next this happens.
“She was at a birthday party with the other kids just last weekend. She died at about 2am on Tuesday. She was a very affectionate, cuddly, peaceful and joyous girl.”
A special remembrance space for Maja has been established in a hall at the school. It enables the bereaved to leave messages in memory of the girl.
She is survived by her mother Iwona, father Krzysztof – who is understood to be a cancer survivor, and her brother Mikolaj, who is in second class in Scoil Mhuire Naofa.
It is understood the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has been working to assist the school.
The GoFundMe page has raised several thousand euro to date, and can be found at: https://www.gofundme.com/majas -fund?ssid=1100613878&pos=1