A MAN of honour who gave unselfishly of himself to our city for almost 20 years is now in need of our help and support.
As a friend I enjoyed many hours in the company of Norman Lynas and his wife Nicola and as a popular and caring clergyman, I believe many will now want to rally to his aid following a horrific fall that has left him as a quadriplegic.
Former St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny Dean, Norman Lynas, a highly respected man of the cloth and his wife emigrated to Bermuda where Norman took up a new ecclesiastical post with the Anglican Church of Bermuda.
Sadly, Nicola, his wonderfully warm, outgoing and devoted wife became ill and passed away suddenly some six months after arriving in Bermuda.
Now, following a fall on a stairway in which he suffered a severe neck and spinal cord injury, the now Canon Norman is paralysed from the neck down.
Medical care
He was rushed to King Edward Memorial Hospital, Bermuda and later airlifted to Lahey Hospital near Boston, Massachusetts where he is receiving expert medical care.
He fractured his neck at the
C4 vertebrae leading to a crushed spine.
He will need ongoing medical care, a full time carer, rehab and specialised equipment, the cost of which is far greater than what his medical insurance will cover.
According to the Christopher Reeve Foundation, care in the first year alone for High Tetrapelegia (C1-C4 injury) will exceed 1million US dollars.
Go to https://www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis/costs-and-insurance/costs-of-living-with-spinal-cord-injury for more details and resources on Spinal Cord Injuries.
Canon Norman has been a priest for 40 years, including time with the Anglican Church of Bermuda as well as in Northern Ireland and in Kilkenny City.
During his years in Kilkenny, a city he fell in love with, then Dean Norman was on the board of Kilkenny College, Chairman of the Model School, trustee of several charitable organisations including The Evans Trust and was a Leinster Branch
Rugby Referee.
Thoughts and prayers
In gratitude for his service, the Vestry of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity of Bermuda has organised and supported this vital international fundraiser and is asking for support.
Even the smallest contribution will be appreciated is the message.
Every dollar raised through a GoFundMe campaign will be directly used for Canon Lynas’s care and medical needs.
An ecumenist, Norman enjoys the respect of all religions and none in our city.
He will be in the thoughts and prayers of so many members of different congregations.
To be friends of Norman and Nicola was a privilege many of us enjoyed and appreciated.
To donate please go to https://ie.gofundme.com/f/support-canon-norman-lynas
Canon Norman is receiving top class care and support from a world class medical team but following a cruel twist of fate his return to walking and a good standard of life, Norman’s recovery is in many respects in the lap of the God to whom he has always been so close.
Bedside rock
At his bedside is his rock, his second wife Marie-Claire who is in regular touch with her step-son Tristan in Kilkenny via Skype.
Members of the Lynas family here are now some 2,957 miles from their loved one in Boston.
A ban on travel to the US because of Covid means that it will take a special humanitarian privilege from the US Government for a local family member to visit Norman.
The greater Lynas family includes Norman’s wife Marie Claire, sons Tristan and Adam, Adam’s wife Julie, step daughter Aly and her partner Jerimaya.
In Bermuda, Norman is known for his erudite preaching, knowledge of history and his engagement with every aspect of Church life.
He is loved for his tender pastoral care. His Irish brogue and rich sense of humour made him a memorable figure in the streets of Hamilton and
around the Island, often in the company of his wife and their little dog, Katie.
