Toddler to get medical help in US
Adam O’Shaughnessy, two, of Meagher Close, Prospect, has been diagnosed with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) — a rare bone condition.
There are only 400 known FOP sufferers in the world.
Adam’s mum Antoinette said: “It is very tough on him. Basically, Adam was born with a very rare bone condition. Over time the bone in his body grows between the muscles and tendons which could immobilise him for life.”
Adam has two brothers; Aaron, 12, Nathan, six, and a sister Jessica, 13.
Antoinette said: “You have to constantly watch him in case he falls. At the moment he has an enlarged spleen because of the FOP. A portal vein between the liver and spleen is blocked which is putting too much pressure on his spleen. He is not as agile as a normal two-year-old. The worse thing about it all is the unknown aspect. He could be wheelchair-bound or worse in years to come. He is like a jigsaw puzzle. We really don’t know what will happen.”
Adam, a keen Liverpool fan, will travel to University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, for intensive research in the coming weeks.
Antoinette said: “A world expert on FOP, Dr Fred Kiplan, is going to look at Adam and see how far the disease has come. He is constantly on drug treatment and all we can do is have it assessed constantly.”
The family are trying to get new and bigger accommodation from Limerick City Council.
Antoinette said: “We have been onto the council about a place with a garden for him but there has been no joy yet. We cannot let him out on the road like other children so hopefully we might get something.”
Organisations and businesses throughout Limerick have assisted Adam to the tune of over €15,000. They include Friends of the Elderly, Dell, Chorus, UL and the Spotted Dog Pub.
Anyone wishing to donate to Adam O’Shaughnessy’s FOP appeal can so at AIB, 106 O’Connell Street, Limerick, a/c no: 21206180, sort code: 93-52-47.
