Last week, it was revealed that more than 20,000 children are on hospital waiting lists, with some waiting up to four years to see specialists.

Eileen O’Toole’s son Dylan is 15 years old and will be waiting two years to see a Rheumatology consultant. She shared the letter she received on facebook.

The letter reads:

Dear Master O’Toole

We wish to confirm that you have been placed on Prof Kanes waiting list for an appointment. We will be contacting you with a date for an appointment six weeks in advance.

In Bold: We regret that there is currently a waiting list of up to two years for an appointment.

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This afternoon, his mother, Eileen, spoke to Jonathan Healy on Newstalk Lunchtime about his condition; he suffers from juvenile arthritis.

She stated: "Every day, almost, he suffers from swollen joints. He says they burn him from the inside out.

"His joints click, he's not able to bear weight on him.

"Coming out of school, he walks very robotic. He's just not able to coordinate himself properly."

She went on to say that Dylan is in a lot of pain, he has temperatures and his eyes hurt and stressed that he needs to see a specialist.

Eileen stated that she has four children with special needs and that she has spent 14 years on waiting lists. She said: "For Dylan, it's not just his physical health, it's his mental health as well."

You can listen to her interview here: