A Heartfelt Thank You From The Ryan Family
The Ryan family wishes to thank every person, club and organisation that have helped them raise funds to create a better quality of life for their son Darragh.
In February 2020, four-year-old Darragh Ryan, was a perfectly healthy little boy who started having seizures. Initially he was treated for Epilepsy, but his symptoms worsened and in March 2020 Darragh attended Temple Street Hospital undergoing numerous tests and scans including EEG’s, Lumber Punctures and had a Plasmapheresis – where all the blood is taken out from the body and replaced with fresh plasma substitute or plasma from the donor.
Darragh’s seizure’s continued and he lost his speech and could no longer walk. A muscle biopsy was ordered, and further testing carried out in the UK but in the meantime, at the end of March, Darragh left Temple Street Hospital to pass away at home. His life expectancy had been reduced to days but against all the odds, Darragh’s life improved, the seizures stopped, and he started to smile again. Six months on and the family received the devastating news that Darragh had been diagnosed with Mitochondrial Complex 1 Deficiency Disease: an extremely rare disease with no cure.
It took Darragh’s parents, Jenny and Jamie, a long time to come to terms with the fact that they needed to ask for help. Darragh relies solely on the care of his parents and siblings Kian, 13 years old and 10-year-old Keeley and it took time to realize the extent of works required to make the home wheelchair accessible to support Darragh and give him the quality of life he truly deserves.
Once the family asked for help, local clubs, schools and organisations rallied with numerous fund-raisers, raffles and donations. A close friend of Darragh’s mother Jenny, Clare Morrissey, started a Go Fund Me appeal called Future For Darragh that that currently stands at €111,375, which is a testament to the power of our community spirit and the generosity that lies therein.
Red Cross Volunteer, Leonie O’Sullivan is the family’s neighbour and friend and was on the committee of the Future for Darragh Monster Raffle that raised €13,344.
“The response to the ‘Future for Darragh’ appeal has been amazing. There have been so many fund-raisers from so many different groups and organisations that it just shows you the kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity of the community. Nobody would want this to happen to their child and the community have rallied to support the Ryan family.”
The funds raised will pay for building works to make the family home wheelchair friendly and accessible. The money will also buy equipment, medications and treatments that Darragh now aged 5 and a half, will require in the future.
The Ryan family offers their heartfelt thanks to every person and organisation that has raised money for Darragh’s appeal and to those that has given great love and emotional support to the family. The building works will commence soon to help create a better quality of life for Darragh at home. It’s true to say that the real work starts now and if any person or organisation wants to offer their skills and services to the building project, please go to the Future For Darragh Facebook page. For donations, you can visit: https://www. gofundme.com/f/future-for-darragh