"If I don't do it, then who would?"

'If I didn't do it, then who would?'

AT present, Leona Davey from Cavan is caring for her husband, Anthony, who has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, her 19-year-old son Alex, who was born with the rare genetic Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome and her 16-year-old daughter, Emma, who is autistic.

Her upbeat and positive demeanour belies the fact that she has put her own life and ambitions on hold for the best part of 20 years to become a full-time carer to her family. “You just have to go with the flow,” Leona told the Celt, “If I didn’t do it, then who would?”

“Sure, you have bad days, but you can’t stay in that place. You can sink or swim in this situation but, really you have no choice, you’ve got to keep going, and you just can’t put yourself first.”

The Jack and Jill Foundation were involved in Alex’s life up until he was aged four years and there were three times when Leona thought: ‘We’re losing him’ but even at that, caring for her children has brought her the greatest joy and taught her the most about life.

“Each time, I was heartbroken, but I have learned there are things out of your control, and you just have to let go of it.

“I get so much out of my son. He teaches me every day. I’m a completely different person to who I was 20 years ago,” Leona says. "Caring for Alex and Emma has been a real lesson in compassion, and it has been my privilege.

“I’m very proud of him and Emma too,” she adds.

Whan asked about respite, Leona says she gets two nights away every year to Bundoran when the cold-water swimmer travels alone and enjoys walks on Roguey. Then it’s back to reality.

Playing piano has been an outlet and since picking up the ukelele in recent years Leona is known to take out and play the instrument “whether people want me to or not”, she laughed.

And, when it was put to Leona that she must have a close bond with her amazing children, the Cavan woman who also cared for her mother before she passed away from cancer a couple of years ago, simply said: “I try,” which aptly sums up Leona Davey’s humble and selfless attitude to the life of dedicated care she has provided to her loved ones.