A very special New Year’s resoloution
With New Year’s Eve only hours away, no doubt most of you will have decided on a New Year Resolution for 2007. Maybe it is to cut down on chocolate or quit smoking, or to lose weight. No doubt most of you will break your resolution by February 1st.
But one young Limerick boy has already decided on his resoloution, and he is determined to keep it. He wants to be able to walk before the end of 2007.
Darragh Ryan (9) sufferes from Cerebral Palsy as well as epilepsy. Since he was born he has been confined to a wheelchair, although he is able to stand with the help of a K-walker.
In 2006, a new method of microsurgery was made availible in Spain. The surgery called Microtomia, is a form of keyhole surgury which leaves little or no scarring and has a far shorter recovery time.
In order to receive this surgery, Darragh would have to travel to spain and attend the Centro Medico Teknon in Barcelona.
But this would all cost money, alot of money.
And the call went out to the general public for help, and they responded. According to Darraghs father, Sean, it was ordinary individuals who donated money, people from “all walks of life and not just well-to-do’s.”
One of the many events organised to raise funds for Darragh’s surgury was this Tractor Run which took place in County Cork in October.
Once the money was raised, It was time for Darrah to make the trip to Spain.
The surgery was carried out on the afternoon of 24th November, and within three hours of going into theatre, he was back in his room recovering. The procedure involved bilateral surgery on the rectus Anterius (which is just above the knees), his hamstrings and his Achilles Tendons.. The surgery was carried out by Dr. Lluis Terricabras.
For the following five weeks, Darragh has to wear casts on both legs. While at the Medical Centre in Spain, Dr. Terricabras gave him a choice of two colours, Yellow or Red. He chose the red of Munster over the Barcelona Away strip colour of Yellow.
Darragh meets with surgeon Dr. Lluis Terricabras and physio Laura Lopez after his surgery.
Darragh will have to undergo rigourous physiotherapy following his operation, but by all accounts he is up to the challenge, and it is hoped that the Munster crazy young boy will be able to walk onto Thomond Park on his own two feet.
After the article on the Limerick Blogger appeared in the Limerick Leader this week, Darragh’s father Sean contacted us and wanted to extend a great big thank you to those who gave their time to organise events to raise money so Darragh could live his dream of being able to walk. A special thank you also goes out to those who coughed up cash.
It is also hoped that Darragh’s story will make people more aware of this surgery and it’s availability.
You can find out more about Darragh Ryan’s story from the website helpdarraghwalk.com
Information on Cerebral Palsy can be found here.
Information on Epilepsey can be found here.
If you wish to speak to someone on these conditions, Enable Ireland or Brainwave are good places to start looking for information.
Images and Material for this article come from the Lets Help Darragh Walk website.