A mountain biking accident on September 10 left Pat and Nicky Crowley’s 17 year-old son Fletcher with a severe spinal cord injury as their eldest, Levi, already fights a rare cancer called VHL or Von Hippel Lindau.

Pat’s sister Aine McGrath has launched a GoFundMe page with a target of $500,000 to help the Crowleys with home modifications required for Fletcher’s independence and cover medical bills and ongoing treatments for both boys.

“The money will also go towards advancing medical research and clinical trials that could potentially change the course of their lives,” she said. 

“Humour has always been a Crowley family tradition. And in true Crowley style, they are leaning on humour to get through the darkest moments. In classic Fletch style, yesterday when doctors explained Fletcher’s strict rehab regime for the next five months and to always remember his patient number, he responded with ‘Bloody hell. I feel like I’m going to juvie’."

Aine McGrath said on the ‘Help Fletch and Levi Crowley’ GoFundMe page here that the words ‘shit-show’ had been mentioned “a few times by the Crowley’s and you can’t help but think that’s exactly how it must feel for this beautiful family. Yet, this family's strength and resilience are nothing short of inspiring. Fletcher's accident has added a new layer of complexity, with the need for significant home modifications, along with ongoing medical support.”

Indeed, support was rapidly building yesterday, more than quadrupling to approach $100,000 of the $500,000 target.

Again, the link is here to the “Help Fletch and Levi Crowley GoFundMe page”.