€30,000 raised to save life of five month-old Wicklow baby with rare condition
The Kasai procedure to address the condition sadly didn't work for baby Millie, whose liver continues to fail. The only option remaining is a liver transplant at King's College Hospital in London, which comes with huge travel costs, time off work, accommodation in London and ongoing medical care.
To help ease the burden on Sarah and her husband Richie Keegan so they can focus on Millie and their two young boys, Lee and Matthew, Sarah's friend Heather launched a GoFundMe page that has raised €30,554 in just two weeks.
'When the surgery didn't work, I was embarrassed about doing a fundraiser, but Heather pressed home that we had a sick child, and people wanted to help,' Sarah said.
'There's lots of bills to pay, so we're completely overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. It's almost too much.
'People are contacting us in the village to do fundraisers, but we don't want to take advantage of the situation, so we told them it's fine. We were just looking for a bit of help, and have had so much already.
'From the beginning, it wasn't even about the money – it's about being told by the hospital that nothing was wrong with Millie, and the situation she's in,' she added.
'I was initially told there's nothing wrong at one hospital, before hearing from Crumlin Hospital three days later that she has biliary atresia with splenic malformation.
'For something so rare, I've met a few people through different connections with the same condition, so it's great to highlight that this happens.
'People have reached out to me, including a woman whose son has the same condition and had his transplant, offering support and advice.
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'We're so grateful. We were never expecting this.'
The family will fly to London in August for an assessment, after which Millie will go on a liver transplant list. From then on, they must be on alert 24/7 and ready to fly at a moment's notice.
'If they ring to say the liver is available, there's an ambulance 20 minutes away, we have to be ready to get to the ambulance, go straight to the airport and on to London,' Sarah said.
'We could wait one or two years. If her condition worsens, she'll be moved up. I'm praying someone in the family will match her.
'I'm so blessed she has just taken everything in her stride. It gives us hope for the future. She's such a good baby, and you can really see her personality shining through.'
To support baby Millie, visit gofund.me/da6d1c6c
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