'I'm terrified': Cork teen must raise €300k for surgery abroad or could end up in wheelchair

A CORK teen, who underwent surgery as a child to fulfil her dream of walking, fears she may end up back in a wheelchair amid struggles to fund additional treatment abroad.

Katie Byrne, who has cerebral palsy, and her mother Antoinette Burke are fundraising to access surgery in Florida to correct a dislocated hip, twisted femur, and a fractured pelvis.

Some €300,000 will be needed in total for Katie’s travel costs, medical treatment and expenses at the Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute in Florida. She will also require intensive physiotherapy after treatments. The target was set on Gofundme which has generated almost €15,000 worth of funds to date.

Katie said that the possibility of having to return to a wheelchair permanently has left her “terrified.”

“It’s like I’m screaming but nobody is listening,” she told The Echo.

The transition year student has once again become reliant on crutches and her wheelchair. She said she is extremely disappointed that the HSE has left her family with no option but to fundraise due to restrictions on what country she can be treated in through its treatment abroad scheme.

SCHEME

Its treatment abroad scheme currently only covers the cost of planned treatment in the European Union, European economic Area, Switzerland or UK locations.

The teenager, who hopes to study psychology or journalism when she leaves school, said she has to fight back tears at medical appointments.

“I do my best not to cry in front of doctors because it just causes a scene. However, this happened recently and the doctor had to apologise for making me upset. It can feel so isolating. 

"Every time a doctor tells me there’s a chance I might end up needing my wheelchair, I’m terrified. I know there are other children who just have to get on with it and live their lives that way but I don’t want to. I got out of my chair. I don’t want to have wasted the last 10 years of my life just to get back into it.” 

The 17-year-old had a message for the HSE.

“My message would be to not to look at the x-ray and look at the person in front of you. If I’m telling you I’m in pain then I am in pain. All I want is for people to believe me instead of disregarding what I’m saying.” 

She reiterated the toll this has taken on her life.

“I have to go to appointments and miss out on certain things. Everything seems to revolve around the fact that I have this issue and I need to get it solved rather than me being a teenager and just doing normal things. If I’m hanging out with my friends all that’s on my mind is how long I will have to walk and whether I will be in pain.”

The teenager lauded her school friends for their unwavering support.

“I’m still friends with my primary school classmates. They knew me before the SDR surgery. I made new friends in secondary school and they are all very understanding. They know the SDR surgery is how I am able to walk now. It’s not something I need them to tip toe around. We even make jokes about it.” 

Nonetheless, her anger at the HSE remains strong.

“I generally experience upset more than I do anger. The fact that I haven’t even been offered a referral from those who can’t help me or a small contribution for my operation is particularly frustrating. Instead, we are being sent from doctor to doctor, all of whom are telling us the same thing.” 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the HSE said the organisation cannot comment on individual cases.

“Unfortunately we cannot comment on individual cases in order to protect our clients and service users’ privacy,” a HSE spokesperson said. “The patient's clinical team can discuss her options with the family directly.”

You can support Katie's Gofundme here.