Two exceptional winners
Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards
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Lorraine McLoughlin from Dovida, sponsors of the Carer of the Year category, with this year’s winners, Christina Raleigh (left) and Lucy Gavin.Image 2 of 3
Lucy Gavin, winner in the Carer of the Year category, with her husband Niall Gavin, and parents Noel and Sarah Lehane.Image 3 of 3
Paul Devine, Lorraine McLoughlin and Rory Fagan from Dovida, sponsors of the Carer of the Year Category, were among the guest at last week’s awards event in the Mullingar Park Hotel.As the date for this year’s Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards got closer, it became clear that we had two outstanding candidates in the Career of the Year category, sponsored by Dovida.
They were Lucy Gavin and Christina (Kiddy) Raleigh, and we couldn’t separate them. That meant the decision was a joint award to two highly deserving people.
Lucy and Christina were present at the awards last week with their families, and it was a pleasure to see them, and to acknowledge their devotion to those they love in a public setting.
This is what we said about the two ladies in advance of the awards day.
Lucy Gavin is a woman who refuses to give up. She has superseded what it means to mother and to care for a child.
Mother to two children, Toby and Ivy, she cares for Toby, having to campaign relentlessly to have kept him alive. Toby was born with an ultra-rare metabolic condition Propionic Acidemia.
In Ireland, that type of condition has a one in a million chance of occurring which led to Lucy becoming a one in a million type of a mother.
In the first few weeks of Toby’s life, the HSE refused to provide the lifesaving medication he needed. Lucy campaigned to every TD and every media outlet to save her son and in her efforts she succeeded. Her love for Toby went further again when he was left waiting years on liver transplant.
Selflessly, she was tested as a donor and was a match. In April 2026, Lucy gave Toby the gift of life for a second time by donating her left lateral segment of her liver, travelling to London to do so. Even in intensive care post-transplant, all Lucy cared about was the welfare of her children.
Throughout all, Lucy has demonstrated the strength, determination and love she has for her family. She continues to manage Toby’s weekly appointments, 24-hour care and her busy two-year-old, Ivy, without complaint.
Her inner strength is to be admired by all who have the honour of meeting her. She is the epitome of what it means to go above and beyond.
Christina (Kiddy) Raleigh from Kinnegad has dedicated her life to the care of others. She has cared for both her parents for the last 10 years, as well as others in the community.
She has worked in any way she was needed whether that be doing the weekly shop, driving to appointments or simply being a listening ear to those around her.
Known for always putting others above herself, Christina has shown her selflessness time and time again. With the tragic passing of her father earlier this year and her mother in 2024, Christina has continued her caring, and maintained her compassion for her brothers and her wider community despite the grief that she has faced.
Members from the community say no thanks in the world are enough to repay the caring nature Christina possesses and the work she has contributed to the area.