The family of Little Livie Mulhern have shared their relief and gratitude after her specialist treatment went smoothly this week.
One-year-old Olivia (Livie) underwent Zolgensma treatment in Dublin on Wednesday, and the good news from her parents is that she home and is doing well.
Livie’s parents Keith, from Donegal Town, and Karen, from Dublin have been through a whirlwind year after their baby girl was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1. The couple quickly launched a mammoth fundraiser to raise €2million for specialist gene therapy to save Livie’s life, and the campaign touched the hearts of thousands of people across Ireland and beyond.
While the fundraiser was a success, Keith and Karen faced another battle to have the Zolgensma treatment administered in Ireland. They had originally planned to travel to the US, but were fortunate to avoid the journey and pay for the treatment with Children’s Health Ireland.
Karen and Livie during her treatment. Photo: Facebook – A Better Life for Livie
An update from Keith and Karen today shared their relief that the treatment went well: “Livie received her treatment in Ireland on Wednesday. We are incredibly grateful to the medical teams at CHI and St James for taking such good care of our baby girl. Livie is home now recovering; a little out of sorts but doing so well. We are so very proud of our brave little soldier.”
The couple issued a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported them in recent months: “We only imagined this day in our dreams, and can not believe we are here after months of incredible effort and support from all you amazing #abetterlifeforlivie and #teamlivie followers, fundraisers and the incredible donation from the Donohers!
“We are just so so so grateful to everyone who has helped her get to this point. There really are no words to describe what this means to us and little Livie. You have made our dreams come true!
“Karen, Keith and Little Livie.”
Photo: Facebook – A Better Life for Livie