The parents of two profoundly disabled young boys face eviction from their home after falling behind in their mortgage repayments.
Terence and Nicolette Connolly were unable to keep up repayments on their Mountmellick, Co Laois, home after giving up their jobs to provide constant care for their sons, Ben (5) and Jake (1).
The boys were born with Allan Herndon Dudley Syndrome, a terminal condition which affects brain development in males, causing severe cognitive deficiency and low muscle tone.
Both of the boys have epilepsy. Ben requires tube feeding, he can’t walk, speak or support his own head. Nicolette told RTÉ radio he is “like a rag doll”.
The boys sleep in the same room as their parents and require 24-hour care. The Connollys get the help of two nurses for 10 hours a week.
They have been living in their home in Mountmellick for the past 14 years. The house is in negative equity. The Connollys owe €210,000 having paid €178,000 between cost price and subsequent work and are now €30,000 in arrears.
Although they accept they are likely to lose the house, they say the bank has been “fairly good” to them. “They have been doing what they can,” said Mr Connolly.
A group of supporters have come together to raise funds for the family, with the intention of providing them with a house for as long as the boys are with them. The Ben and Jake Connolly Trust has so far raised €70,000.
The Connollys say they would hand the house over to charity when they are done with it so that another family in a similar situation might get the benefit of it.
