A County Wexford father has made the heartbreaking decision to raffle his house…
The Wexford father will raffle his fully furnished family cottage in the hope of securing a fresh start for his wife and four daughters after years of illness, financial hardship and personal sacrifice.
Steve Rooney, from Wexford, says the decision came only after exhausting every other option as his family continues to cope with the impact of his long-term health condition.
Steve, who is a disabled father of four, has spent years battling Ulcerative Colitis. The condition eventually resulted in him requiring a permanent colostomy bag, something he says has transformed every aspect of his daily life.
“I’m a disabled father from County Wexford. My wife and I have four daughters, and after years of living with Ulcerative Colitis, I was left with a permanent colostomy bag. The illness has changed every part of my life and brought physical, emotional and financial challenges that I never imagined.”
Despite the challenges, Steve has continued to pursue his ambition of helping others by studying for a Psychology degree from home.
“Despite everything, I’ve refused to give up. I’m studying for a Psychology degree from home because my health no longer allows me to attend classes in person. Unfortunately, I can’t get Government funding because my course has to be completed remotely, so I’ve had to pay for it myself.”
“My goal is to build a career where I can help other people facing mental health and life challenges.”
The financial strain on the family has become increasingly difficult, leading to Steve’s wife taking up employment in Dublin in order to support the household.
“Things have become so difficult financially that my wife has had to take a job in Dublin just to keep us going. It means we’re apart for half the week, and while she’s away I’m at home looking after our four daughters on my own while managing my disability and health every day. It’s not easy, but we do everything we can to keep our family together,” Steve told Wexford Weekly.
After months of consideration, the family made what Steve describes as the most difficult decision they have ever faced.
“After a lot of thought, we made the heartbreaking decision to raffle our fully furnished traditional-style cottage and a separate mobile guest home instead of simply selling them. We hope one lucky person gets the chance to own a beautiful property in Ireland while giving our family the opportunity to make a fresh start.”
While the raffle is designed to help secure the family’s future, Steve says it was equally important that it would also benefit others.
“The part that’s most important to me is that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Children’s Cancer Treatment Charity to help cover their fuel costs for a year. Even though we’re struggling ourselves, we wanted this raffle to make a difference for families who are facing unimaginable circumstances.”
If we can help them continue their incredible work while also helping our own family, then it will all have been worthwhile.”
Steve hopes that by sharing his family’s story, others will see beyond the raffle itself.
“This isn’t just a story about raffling a home. It’s about resilience, family, hope, and refusing to give up despite illness and hardship. I believe it’s a story that many people will connect with.”
The raffle offers entrants the opportunity to win a fully furnished traditional Irish cottage together with a separate mobile guest home, while also supporting the Rooney family’s fresh start and a charitable cause helping families of children undergoing cancer treatment.
More information, including a link to purchase tickets for the raffle can be found here. Raffle tickets for the Wexford cottage cost 10 euro on the platform.
Jason Redmond
From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.
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