Mum raises funds for local hospital that saved twin boys

A Cork mother is gearing up for a unique challenge to support the hospital which spotted a life-threatening condition in her twin boys.

Ciara Bowe, 44, was just 16 weeks into her pregnancy in 2023 when she was told the identical siblings were at grave risk from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).

The rare condition, in which one baby receives more nutrients from the placenta than the other, put both little Tadhg and Cathal in serious danger - and could have been fatal if not identified or treated.

The morning after undergoing surgery aimed at correcting the blood and nutrient supply the boys were receiving, Ciara was scheduled for a scan.

“It was the longest walk of my life down the corridor for that scan to see if there was one heartbeat or two heartbeats,” said the primary school principal from Ballincollig.

To her huge relief, the scan showed two little heartbeats with signs of improvement already evident in the unborn brothers who Ciara said are now both thriving.

“We were just blessed it was caught at the early stage,” she said.

“If it is not spotted, or you go without treatment, the odds are up to 90% that neither baby will make it,” added Ciara.

While the life-saving surgery was performed at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital, it was the ante-natal team at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) which initially spotted the danger.

Ciara continued: “When we went to the Rotunda, we were given a 25% chance that the surgery would save both.”

However, both babies were born perfectly healthy at 34 weeks, Tadhg at 6lb 6oz and the couple’s “little warrior baby” Cathal at 5lb 9.5oz. Tadhg and Cathal, who also live with their big brother Seamus and their dad Thomas, turned two last week.

In her gratitude to CUH and CUMH, Ciara is taking on the Walk in Their Shoes fundraiser throughout May which asks the public to match the daily steps of healthcare workers to raise critical funds for both the maternity and general hospital in Cork.

She has chosen to match the 13,000 steps-a-day of Zac Dwyer, who works with the charity, and is asking the public to support her month-long fundraiser at: idonate.ie/fundraiser/Ciarastrekofthanks.

This is Ciara’s second major fundraising effort for CUH and CUMH. In 2024, she raised €36,000 by walking 253km around the streets and parks of Cork – the equivalent distance from Leeside to the Rotunda.

To support Ciara’s Walk in Their Shoes fundraiser, visit idonate.ie/fundraiser/Ciarastrekofthanks, or sign up at cuhcharity.ie/walkintheirshoe2026.