HSE finally agrees to pay for treatment

A 12-YEAR-OLD girl is set to get a life-changing operation to correct curvature of her spine, after the HSE finally agreed to pay for the treatment.

Little Ann-Marie Kelleher, from Killavullen, Co Cork, is to have the operation next month at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore, Middlesex.

Her mother, Bernie, confirmed yesterday the HSE had eventually agreed to foot the bill.

She claimed that the HSE “had been shamed” into taking the action after an anonymous donor offered €100,000 to pay for her daughter’s treatment.

The offer came after Bernie went public on her daughter’s plight. The donor then contacted RTÉ’s Joe Duffy Show with the offer.

Despite the HSE saying it will finance the trip to Middlesex under the treatment abroad scheme, the donor has contacted the Kelleher family to assure them his money is still available to them if they need any of it.

“He has said the funds are still with his solicitor and if we need them we only have to ask,” said Bernie.

Ann-Marie will fly out to London with her mother, father, Tom, and younger sister, Catriona, early next month. The family will stay at her side for the operations and while she recovers.

“She will go into the hospital on either March 4 or 5 for pre-ops. She will then undergo her first surgery on March 12,” said Bernie.

On that day surgeons will break down the bones in her spine. A week later they will insert a rod into her back to straighten the spine and will also carry out some nerve restructuring.

The family have been told by doctors that they hope Ann-Marie will be fit enough to return home after about 10 weeks.

However, she will have to return to the Stanmore hospital after that for follow-up consultations.

“It is a great relief that this is finally going to happen.” her mother said.

Ann-Marie’s surgery was cancelled a number of times by Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. Her condition started to deteriorate and the Kelleher family became so concerned they went to see a specialist in England who told them the operation could be done within weeks, if they were able to pay for it.

Significant surgery will be involved, but the Kellehers are hoping it will be successful and allow Ann-Marie to live as normal a life as possible.