False Flora Women’s Mini Marathon 2008 Females only – males are not allowed anymore Bank Holiday Monday, 2nd June at 3.00pm. - 10K. First entry Form: The fi rst entry form will be in the Evening Herald on Thursday 28th February 2008. Closing Date: 22nd April 2008 or when maximum number of entries is reached. Age limit: Participants must be at least 14 on Mini Marathon Day. Entry process: All Participants must enter either on the offi cial entry Form which will appear in the Evening Herald every Thursday and Saturday from Thursday 28th February 2008 or on line www. fl orawomensminimarathon. ie from 29th February 2008. Pleas note: The number of entries will be strictly limited. To avoid disappointment, we would ask you to enter early as entries will be rejected if received after the closing date or when we have reached our maximum number. Sponsorship: If participating for a charity, remember you still have to enter the race through the above entry process. A wonderful gift to start off the New Year... Just imagine getting a telephone call to say you had been chosen to receive € 10,000.00!! How wonderful would that be? Well that is exactly what happened just after Christmas, we got a call from Anglo Irish Banks to say ISANDS had been chosen to receive € 10,000 and a couple of days later we received a cheque in the post. An incredible gift from the Staff of Anglo Irish Banks and we would like to thank them sincerely for there generosity, support and interest in this charity. We must also acknowledge the role of Mr. Pat Walsh who nominated this charity in memory of his son, Neil. This is actually the second time for Anglo Irish Banks to give ISANDS a large sum of money. In 2006 we received € 5,000. Thank you so very much; you have no idea the difference it makes to have a boost to our income. It affords us the opportunity to develop the services of the charity in ways we could not with out added income. In every year we need to be able to cover our general running costs for the year and it is only with the extra income we receive each year through donations, that we can do something outside the general running costs. Thank you to Anglo Irish Banks, other Corporate Groups and Parents and families themselves for making that possible. Mary Ryan - National Fundraising Offi cer ISANDS Participants Please get in touch with ISANDS for sponsorship cards and the new T- Shirt sporting new logo. Many of our members missed out last year because they left it too late to register and the quota had already been reached. We will also have the use of St. Annes Hall in Molesworth Street to offer hospitality to our participants. We will however, need to know if you intend to use facilities in advance. Many thanks again for supporting this charity and hopefully ISANDS will be there in force to mark our 25th year. isands newsletter 5

False Many thanks to everyone who wrote for this edition. The stories and poems in this edition as with every edition of the ISANDS newsletter are most valued by other parents and family members reading them. Sharing how we feel and how we coped, can often help take away the feelings of isolation and loneliness for other parents and families. Even though our experience all vary we all share common feelings and thoughts. The time frame may also vary but almost always we will identify at some point with what is being said. Hopefully these stories and poems will encourage other parents, family members, friends, health care professionals to write about their own experiences or even contact us with an idea or topic for future editions. isands newsletter 6