Have a heart and buy a Valentine for Odie

LOVE is certainly in the air for Odie O’Brien, the little girl from Highlands, Drogheda, whose family needs to raise €100,000 to help her to walk.

Not only have the good people of Drogheda and beyond helped her parents to reach well over the half way point, but a forthcoming Valantine’s Ball is donating all its proceeds to the fund.

Taking place on Saturday February 16th in the Glenside Hotel, organiser Mo O’Callaghan says, not only will the Black-Tie event raise much needed money for the child, but a wonderful evening of romance, food, dancing and fun will be guaranteed too.

“We’ve actually sold 100 tickets so far, and we have around 40 more to sell to reach our target, so we are hoping people will snap them up.”

The tickets are €50 a head, and that includes a champagne reception, four course meal and dancing to brilliant local band The Value until late.

Mo says it’s not just open to couples either, and there will be plenty of romantic singles ready to mingle too!

“The band is amazing, and they released a single three weeks ago, which is now no 7 in the Irish charts, so we are really lucky they are doing it for free for us,” she explains.

“Odie’s parents are so close to reaching their target at €60,000, so we hope these two big events will bring the push they need to raise the other €40,000.”

Now a bright and bubbly five-year-old, Odie (Odette) has a condition called spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, which means she can’t stand unsupported or walk without the aid of her walker.

Reaching their target will mean the chance for groundbreaking surgery in America, which would hopefully see Odie gain use of her legs.

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. This condition affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture, and balance. Odie’s cerebral palsy is caused by a condition called periventricular leukomalacia, or an injury to the white matter of the brain, and this is linked to a heart condition that she was born with known as tricuspid valve dysplasia.

“This amazing, life-changing surgery involves the cutting of nerves in the spine which connect the brain to the muscles in the legs to permanently reduce the tightness and pain and allow for walking. It is not performed in Ireland, and the HSE do not routinely fund this through the Hospital Treatment Abroad scheme,” explains her dad David O’Brien. “We may have to move the surgery date to around October 2019, and we are so grateful to everyone who keeps organising events and donating money, so we hope Odie can reach her dream of walking, running and dancing