Locals rally round Kyle ahead of liver transplant

A community is rallying around the family of a little Kerry girl due for a life-saving organ transplant next month.

Birthday girl Kyle O’Donoghue, who turns three today, has been diagnosed with a malignant liver tumour which requires a full liver transplant in King’s College Hospital, London.

In the meantime, she is receiving fortnightly chemotherapy treatments in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

Kyle is the only child of unemployed construction worker Declan O’Donoghue and his wife, Fiona, of Dromcarbin, Headford, Killarney.

Fiona is expecting another baby in October.

“It’s like the whole world has come in on top of us,” Declan said yesterday. “Kyle gets very sick after chemo and her blood levels are low, but she’s doing well and knows there’s a tumour that must be taken out.

“She’s a very good child and, like any other little girl, loves to play.”

The O’Donoghues have been told the tumour is very aggressive and covers Kyle’s entire liver. Fiona who worked in Penney’s Stores, Killarney, is now looking after Kyle full-time.

People in the area have organised several fund-raising events, including a one-day climb of four Kerry mountains to help with medical bills and other costs.

Donal O’Doherty, of the Kyle O’Donoghue Liver Transplant Fund, said many people were offering to help, pointing out that the family’s bills could be between €30,000 and €40,000.

Kyle’s condition, hepatoblastoma, is a very rare liver tumour, usually found in children up to three years of age, and accounts for just over 1% of all children’s cancers, according to the Society for Translational Oncology in the US.

The family are going to King’s College Hospital for a consultation on Sep 9, and a transplant is expected to take place in mid-October.

The fund-raising programme, meanwhile, gets underway with a concert by Gliondar, getting back together for a performance in McSorley’s, Killarney, next Saturday.

On Sep 15, seven climbers will undertake a Four Mountain Challenge, including Carrantuohill, Mangerton, Crohane and the Paps. Also on Sep 15, there will be a sponsored bed push and a family walk, with entertainment that evening in The Kerry Way public house.

Donations can also be made to a special account in TSB Bank, Killarney, in the name of D O’Donoghue Re Kyle O’Donoghue. Sort code: 99-07-20. A/C number: 18433704.