Julian Benson has opened up about living with Cystic Fibrosis, and shared how the support of his mother got him through so much.
The former Dancing with the Stars judge was diagnosed with CF in his childhood, and he shared that a promise he made to his mum has helped inspire him to live his life to the fullest - including his latest project: a free accomodation home for the families of those having treatment for CF in Dublin hospitals.
"I saw people crying on their own because nobody could be with them," Julian recalled of his own times having treatments, sharing that he feels lucky to be from Dublin because he was always able to have his family by his side.
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"When I was in hospital over the years, I would see many people travelling to Dublin for their treatment... I was lucky, I lived in Dublin. "
"My mother, she was told I wouldn't live past (the age of) 12. She wrapped her arms around me and went 'my son may have CF but he is going to live his dreams.'"
"And I said 'mum, I promise you I am going to try to make a difference.' As soon as I saw the house, I knew it was for us. You just feel that essence of 'this is a home with a hug.'"
Cystic fibrosis causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. This causes lung infections and problems digesting food, explains the HSE.
It's a condition some people are born with. It runs in families. The heel prick test babies have when they're born picks up most cases of cystic fibrosis.
The star opened up about his experiences on a special episode of Room to Improve.
On the series, he joined forces with Dermot Bannon to achieve his goal of opening a home away from home for the families of cystic fibrosis patients, run by the Julian Benson Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Julian aims to provide free accommodation for families of those with CF, as treatments and complications often require long hospital stays for those with the illness, and some families may not have the means to be able to stay in Dublin for the duration of this care if they are coming from outside the capital.
With huge costs associated with both short and long-term accommodation rentals in Dublin, The Tranquility House project will be a sanctuary for these families.
The Rathgar home needed a lot of work to get it ready, on a budget of 250,000 euro.
He told RSVP Live previously: "The house was a good structure but it couldn’t have been lived in with wiring, the plumbing and the floors. I saw a vision and I knew it was the right place."
"They say it takes a village, but all of Ireland came together here. This is a celebration of the Irish people and kindness and true love.
"Everyone gave all their time and services for nothing. It is very rare to see that in this day and age. This has been a dream for so many years."
Julian added that he hopes it will really help the families that need it:
"The beauty about this is that it is free. Nobody is paying a penny. We look after them and fill the fridge."
"This is to look after families who couldn't come to Dublin and pay €300 a night in a hotel plus parking. If your family member is really ill, you need to be here. I have seen it first hand."
Dermot also explained Julian's vision for the house: "Julian’s thing was it couldn’t be an institution."
"A lot of these families will spend all day long in hospital, they will eat every meal in a canteen, so he just wanted this to feel like a home away from home."
"That is what it is. It is for people who are living tough lives to give them a small bit of an arm around them, in the form of a building."
Room to Improve airs Sunday night at 9.30am on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
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