The family of a young woman from Co Wicklow have spoken of their “race against time” to raise hundreds of thousands of euros to bring her to the US for a potentially life-saving operation.
At just 30 years old, Arklow school teacher Eímear Byrne has undergone two open heart surgeries. Suffering from a rare connective tissue disorder early in life, she has battled health issues since a young age – having her first surgery at age ten and her second three years ago when an aneurysm suddenly ruptured.
Despite struggles with her health, the young woman trained to be a primary school teacher – a job she loves, as working with children and seeing their confidence grow brings her great joy.
During the second surgery, Eímear unfortunately suffered a severe stroke, changing her life completely, and forcing her to re-learn everyday tasks.
“She’s a fighter,” her sister, Níamh, 26, tells Gript. “That surgery was terrifying and she could have died. Life changed overnight and Eímear had to learn how to walk and talk all over again. She is someone who loves life, takes nothing for granted, and she fought hard to recover from what seemed like an impossible situation – returning to her dream job, which is primary school teaching.”
Níamh, who is also a primary school teacher, says that her older sister felt very hopeful for her future, when the family’s world was turned upside down when Eímear visited her doctor after feeling unwell. After tests, medics discovered three more aneurysms, which mean that Eímear now needs a third open-heart surgery,
“She has been through so much already, but this surgery is even more complex and urgent. Time is critical,” says Niamh.
Due to the complexity of the teacher’s condition and the risks involved, the surgery needs to be carried out urgently in a specialised hospital in Maryland in the US.
“If we have the funds, the team in the US is ready to go. It’s as simple as a bank transfer, but we’re in a real race against time to secure the funding for Eímear’s surgery. We cannot get funding for such a specialist surgery, and so we’ve been running events and telling her story to try and promote a fundraiser.
The surgeons in this hospital have the experience and facilities needed to treat a patient like Eímear, and can hopefully reduce the rate of mortality during the surgery, and the worrying risk of life-altering complications – like a second stroke. This is Eímear’s last hope, as the operation and rehabilitation offered in America will give her the best chance of living a long and happy life. Unfortunately, there just isn’t a surgeon who can perform this operation for her in Ireland right now.
“At the moment Eímear’s doing okay,” says Níamh. “She’s had such a positive mindset and she was so hopeful. When you get sick like this, I suppose you can have almost a compartmentalised attitude towards it where it almost doesn’t feel like it’s happening to you. But she is very strong and she is getting through each day, however we increasingly know that time is not on our side.”
‘WE’RE SO LUCKY TO STILL HAVE HER HERE’
“We have hope because we know that the medical team in the US are willing and confident enough to perform the surgery, money permitting. Unfortunately it is the only option. She has her patient number and everything, and if we had the funds, we’d be on the next flight over, because time is already not on our side. The hospital was ready to take her back in October, so ideally she would have been operated on back then.
“We’ve gone public in the hope to raise the funds because it really is a life we are talking about, and it’s a matter of life or death for my sister. Every day that goes by, we are so lucky to still have her here.”
That in itself presents challenges, says Níamh, as Eímear has “always tried hard to handle life’s challenges quietly and independently.” However, the family have been struck by the level of community support – with a Go Fund Me page for their daughter raising €188,000 of the €600,000 goal.
“Eímear’s the kind of person that just goes above and beyond for everyone. She’s the most kind and caring person and always puts everyone else before herself. The reality is that she is not okay right now, and we need to do this for her. It’s hard thinking that this is her life. People have been amazing. We couldn’t even put a value on the support we have had and what it has meant.
“The local areas around us have been wonderful, and that support has spread across the wider area through social media. It can be quite lonely going through this and it lifts our spirits and keeps us hopeful.”
“No amount is too small. We are so grateful to everyone who has donated. Every euro brings us one step closer to seeing Eímear’s survival.”
As the clock continues to tick, the Byrne family are hoping to raise the remaining money needed to fly to the States for the treatment, with Níamh in the process of contacting schools across the country in the hopes of organising fundraisers.
You can visit the family’s Go Fund Me page here.