Late Late Toy Show star Adam King has raised an incredible €250,000 for two hospitals in Dublin and Cork.
The six-year-old, who suffers from a rare condition that causes brittle bones, captured the hearts of the nation when he appeared on the Late Late Toy Show with his "virtual hug" card.
Adam later raised a stunning €266,830.52 for Temple Street Hospital in Dublin and Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) through sales of his virtual hug cards, which were printed in the lead-up to Valentine's Day this year.
The cards were printed by Garlanna Greeting Cards and sold at Centra and SuperValu stores nationwide, while the money raised will be evenly distributed between Temple Street Hospital and CUMH.
Adam has attended both hospitals since he was a baby after he was born with type III osteogenesis imperfecta, which causes both brittle bones and stunted growth.
Temple Street Hospital will use the funds to support the Rare Paediatric Bone Disorders Clinic, which Adam still attends. The hospital will also use the funds to support the Children Health Ireland's Arts in Health program.
Meanwhile, the funding will additionally go toward the construction of a specialized neonatal unit at CUMH.
Around 1,300 of the 8,000 babies born at CUMH every year require admission to a specialized neonatal unit.
Claire Concannon, Development and Marketing Manager at the Cork University Hospital charity, said that the neonatal unit will play an important role for families.
"The Neonatal Sanctum will [provide] a quiet, dignified space, away from a clinical environment, is so important for families," Concannon said.
Work on the neonatal unit is expected to begin next year and is expected to cost €900,000. A total of €412,000 has been raised to date.
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