Community rallies to get Alex (1) treatment – Wicklow People

Alex Byrne, daughter of Kiltegan native James Byrne and Anne Donnelly suffered extensive brain damage in the womb, and was delivered by emergency C-section in January 2016.

'It was a normal pregnancy with no issues but the day before Alex was due I noticed that she had stopped moving,' Alex's mother Anne said.

At some stage in the 24 hours before her birth, Alex was deprived of oxygen in the womb and suffered HIE (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy).

After delivery, Alex was placed in a hypothermic state to reduce her body temperature gradually in an attempt to reduce the level of damage to her brain.

'Unfortunately it didn't help Alex and as a result she has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and is visually impaired. We have wonderful families both in Dublin and in Kiltegan and we get great support from Enable Ireland, Jack & Jill Foundation and LauraLynn charity,' Anne added.

However, while researching how they could further help their daughter, Anne and James discovered a specialist clinic in Chicago, USA which could assist Alex in improving her quality of life through physical therapy to strengthen her body and improve her use of her hands/arms.

'At present Alex cannot hold her head up for more than a few seconds and while she is kicking her legs and moving her arms, we don't know how much of that is voluntary. We hope that we can help to improve her quality of life and we want to do our best for Alex.'

Anne and James will travel with Alex on August 16 for a three month period, during which time Alex will avail of various treatments at the clinic.

'We don't know what the outcome will be but when it comes to the brain, the stories we hear can be incredible so we have to have hope and do our best,' said Anne.

Since news of Alex's journey became public, an online donations page has been set up and various fundraisers have been organised to try and help the Byrne family reach their 50,000 target.

Alex's grandmother Ann Byrne from Kiltegan organised the most recent event - a ceili last weekend which was a great success.

Events are also set to take place in a number of local national schools.

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Community rallies to get Alex (1) treatment - Wicklow People