A FAMILY from Convoy are embarking on a fundraising campaign to raise money for treatment in the US for their seven year old daughter with Spina Bifida.
Sinead and Chris Breen are hoping to raise €35,000 for their daughter Mikaela to undergo treatment in Boston which is unavailable in Ireland.
Explaining the operation her mother Sinead said: “They are going to take her spinal cord apart and detether it. It’s stuck in fatty deposits.”
If the surgery is a success Mikaela will have improved mobility and standard of living.
The treatment in the US will cost €50,000 in total which would be carried out in the specialist Spina Bifida and Spinal Cord Centre in Boston.
Sinead said: “That’s the dream. We are aiming for that. Our neighbours and friends have been fundraising for us.”
A number of fundraisers have been organised such as a car wash and a quiz night is planned for a few weeks time. If the family are unable to raise the amount needed they will look into getting the treatment done in Liverpool.
However, the Centre in Boston has more experience dealing with surgeries like this and there is a risk involved.
“There is a risk that they could do something to affect her mobility,” said Sinead.
“Her standard of life is too bad, we have to take the gamble. With the tethered cord the older she gets the worse the symptoms will get. She will need a wheelchair to move in and she will be in more pain. It will steadily get worse. It is the biggest challenge we are facing because as she grows, it does more damage. Urology is our biggest concern as her bladder, kidneys, and bowel are compromised.
“I’m trying not to think about how bad it would get. We are hoping to take Mikaela to America before Christmas for tests – you have to wait years for them here in Ireland – so the only option is to take her abroad to be seen by one of the best teams in the world. She cannot keep going the way she is, so we might have to take a risk with her mobility as she has to have healthy kidneys to live.”
The Go Fund me page is called Mobilize for Mikaela and the link is https://www.gofundme.com/4jk7rbk