Incredible response to fund for Sligo man's terminally ill wife
SLIGO man Leo Morris who is battling to prolong the life of his terminally ill wife Triona (36) via specialised and hugely expensive medical treatment only available in the US or UK has spoken movingly about the generosity of people who have contributed more than €250,000 to a fundraising drive to cover the costs of treatment for Leo’s wife, mum-oftwo Catriona.
Caitriona, known to everyone as Triona, has a Grade 4, non-resectable Astrocytoma with a typical prognosis of 12-18 months.
Leo, from Grange in north Sligo, told the Sligo Weekender he and family members behind a GoFundMe campaign which aims to raise €350,000 to cover costs of treatment not available here, says the fact the fund has already passed the quarter of a million-euro mark is staggering but also critical, as it allows them to plan and fine tune the treatments they want to use.
They are placing their hopes in oncovirus therapies being trialled currently in the United States and Canada. They are also looking at treatment options in the UK.
Triona and Leo have two beautiful young children, Kitty (3) and Barra (1).
Leo was lost for words when this reporter pointed out the total had gone north of €250,000 as we spoke.
“It’s just amazing the response from people. To have €250,000 there already in such a short space of time since Triona’s sisters Maeve, Roisín and Sarah launched the GoFundMe page is amazing to have that amount there already.
“What that means is that we now know we can pursue these treatments. The target total is €350,000 but we received some quotes for certain treatments in the US where they were looking for a deposit of €200,000.
“The costs are astronomical, but I just can’t get over people’s generosity,” he said.
The GoFundMe Page is called “Caitriona Logan Brain Tumour Treatment Fundraiser” and features a gorgeous picture of Triona with Kitty and Barra.
TRIONA, a doctor in Mullingar Regional Hospital was only recently diagnosed (October) with the terminal brain tumour.
Leo, a son of Kevin and the late Áine Morris from Grange, said they were floored by the news. “To be honest our first reaction was to initially panic, but when we had time to sit back and think, our focus was our kids and how what we could do to prolong Triona’s life, that’s where we are at and all those contributing, those reading this, you are giving us this precious chance and any words I say just don’t fully explain how we feel.
“We are blown away by people’s humanity and generosity,” he said.
Leo and Triona’s families have all been hugely supportive. Weekender readers may well know Leo’s Sligo siblings, Ciara Connolly who lives in Grange, Katie Morris lives in Sligo town and their brother Eoin who lives in County Down.
Leo says their children have been keeping them going and they are seeking the funding to allow them to pursue new treatment options in the US or UK which “will give us more time together as a family”.
He explained: “We hope this will buy Triona more time with us, which is why we are doing this. All of us involved in this are overwhelmed by the response from the public, it’s incredible. We have people donating large and small amounts of money, every cent matters.
Triona is currently receiving excellent care in Ireland, but Leo says the treatment in Ireland is very limited for her type of cancer.
“We are currently onto specialists in the US trying to give Triona the best chance possible and trying to get her the most amount of time possible with her family and friends. Unfortunately, this kind of treatment comes at a very large cost.”
The total raised so far (Tuesday evening, January 2) is €253,000 which Leo says means that this huge amount of money allows them to concentrate on finding the treatments.
All unused funds will go to the Irish Cancer Society so all money will either go on treatment or research to find treatments.
On their GoFundMe Page a recent update explains the latest developments: “We are in contact with two hospitals in America who are reviewing Triona’s case. They will see if they have any surgeries, treatments or trials that might suit her. The figure we have had from them so far for a clinical trial is a deposit of 200,000 dollars.
“They can't give a total cost of treatment until they know which, if any trial she can go on.
“Closer to home we have been speaking to some hospitals in London.
“There is a vaccine which she may be suitable for. There is a complicated review process involved with this which will take probably a few months. We have been quoted Sterling £250,000 for the vaccine alone.
“There is also a potentially very promising trial we hope will be available soon (people previously had to travel to America for it). We are hoping to have a consultation with them in the coming weeks to find out more and find out about cost and details etc.”
The update adds: “As you can see things are very much up in the air still.
“The figures of money are enormous. It's our job now to find the best match of treatment for Triona. One that gives her as much good quality of life to spend with her kids as possible.”
Speaking to the Sligo Weekender Leo added: “Some of the donations from anonymous donors are very substantial and I would love to know who they are as I just want to say ‘thank you’ to them and everyone else, we just want to thank everyone,” he said.
The GoFundMe Page can be easily found if you key in the words ““Caitriona Logan Brain Tumour Treatment Fundraiser” or alternatively go to the Sligo Weekender Facebook page where we have a direct link posted on our page.
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