‘Don’t punish me for getting married’ woman with incurable disease pleads with politicians

A young woman with an incurable disease who has to rely largely on fundraising for treatment abroad because of a lack of expertise in Ireland has made a heartfelt plea to politicians not to take away her welfare benefits should she get married.

Amy Foley, 28, from Midleton, Co Cork, has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic, incurable connective tissue disease that affects the joints, muscles, bones, blood vessels, and vital organs.

She is on 26-28 medications a day and was recently devastated when her doctors told her it was no longer safe for her to become pregnant.