Updated: 22 May
Denise Ryan is a 33-year-old from Rathfarnham in Dublin who needs help to fund urgent medical treatment.
She tells us: “Over the last few years I’ve become very ill and I’m desperately trying to raise money to go to America for urgent medical treatment.”
“I have severe Lyme Disease and a lot of co-infections that go along with that, but my family can’t afford to pay for me to go for treatment. I have a gofundme account which I’m hoping will help me to raise the funds.”
Denise’s family, friends and neighbours are all pitching in, but she is still some way from the target she needs to hit in order to be treated successfully.
Her gastroenterologist at University of Washington Hospital has offered Denise the opportunity to go to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, one of the best hospitals in the world.
Denise tells us: “If I can raise the funds as soon as possible, my GI doctor can get me in right away, which is vital because of how advanced my illness is already and because my visa is running out soon. So I’ve had to raise the fund goal, which is daunting but this is a huge opportunity for me to go to one of the best hospitals in the both the U.S. and the world, so I have to try to get there and hopefully they will find something that will save my life.”
On May 16, Denise posted a courageous message on her Facebook page on the day of her 33rd birthday, in which she revealed that medical treatment in the United States has been more expensive than she had anticipated.
The treatment she has been having has prevented Denise from fundraising while she has been in the US and she has appealed for people to part with €3 in honour of her 33rd birthday, which she says would be a huge help.
If you would like to donate €3 or even a more substantial sum towards Denise’s treatment, you can do so via her gofundme page.
For more information on Denise’s Lyme Treatment Fund, check out the Facebook page here.
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