Over €30k raised for six-month-old baby battling rare life-threatening condition
Over €30,000 has been raised to support the family of a six-month-old baby from Co Galway who has spent more than half his life in hospital battling a rare and life-threatening condition.
Rían Ó Márta was born last October with a condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), which occurs when the diaphragm – the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen – fails to close during prenatal development.
This allows abdominal organs, such as the stomach, intestines, and/or liver, to move into the chest. When the abdominal organs are in the chest, they can crowd the heart and lungs and keep the lungs from growing normally and can lead to breathing complications after the baby is born.
Rían's parents, Siobhán and Joe, first learned of their son's devastating diagnosis at their 20-week scan.
Due to the severity of Rían's condition, doctors gave him a very low chance of survival without intervention.
In a bid to give their son the best possible outcome, Siobhán and Joe travelled to Leuven in Belgium, where they spent six weeks so Siobhán could undergo a highly specialised and delicate procedure called FETO surgery.
Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO) is a surgical procedure to treat the most severe cases of (CDH) that are diagnosed in utero which involves a balloon being placed in a fetus's trachea to improve lung development.
The procedure was a success, and thanks to it, Rían was given a fighting chance at life.
Since his birth, Rían has spent over 150 days in Crumlin Children's Hospital in Dublin, where he continues to face ongoing and complex medical challenges as a result of CDH.
Siobhán and Joe's friends have a launched a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise money to help ease the financial strain faced by the couple as they continue to care for their newborn.
"[Rian] has shown incredible strength and resilience, but his journey is far from over," a message shared on the fundraising page states.
"While staying in Dublin to be close to their baby boy, Siobhán and Joe have also had to manage being apart from their three-year-old daughter, Saoirse, who is being lovingly cared for by family back home in Galway.
"This long and emotional road has brought with it a huge financial strain - including travel, accommodation, time off work, and daily living costs. We are asking for your help to ease that burden, so Siobhán and Joe can focus fully on what matters most: being there for Rían as he continues to fight.
"Every donation, no matter how small, will make a real difference to this family. Please consider supporting them if you can, and help spread the word by sharing this campaign."
The fundraising campaign has already help raise over €32,500 within 24 hours of being launched and those interested in making a donation can do so here.
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