An appeal launched to help cover the costs of the burial of a 10-year-old girl who died after her flight was diverted to Shannon has raised more than $20,000 only two days after being posted online.
Madra was travelling with her three sisters on Christmas Eve from Toronto to Heathrow en route to Nigeria to visit family when she became ill on board an Air Canada flight. It is understood there was a doctor and nurse on board the flight who helped the crew assist the child. The plane was diverted to Shannon and the 10-year-old was taken to University Hospital Limerick where, a short time later, she was a pronounced dead.
The family have been in Ireland since Christmas Eve and are waiting to travel back to Canada with their sister's body.
A gofundme page entitled ‘Bring Our Beautiful Madra Home’ was set up by Madra’s sister on Tuesday asking for support in paying for the young girl’s funeral. The page, which was set up under the name Fedelia Oo, explains that the young girl came from a single parent family which could not afford the costs of “a proper burial for our beloved Madra”.
“Any help you can give will be deeply appreciated by our family during this time of devastation and grief. Madra was the light of our lives, she brought joy and happiness to our household and we will never be the same without her, however we will keep her memory alive. Thank you.”
Madra’s sister also expressed thanks to Air Canada, an Garda and medical teams on the page for their help and support.
The fundraising page, which originally aimed to raise $15,000 for funeral costs, has already collected $20,948 since its launch on December 27th.
