‘Ronan has suffered enough, give us a date for surgery’

KILLORGLIN family are pleading with the new Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and the HSE to give them a date for their 14-year old son’s vital operation.

Ronan Foley from Dungeel has been awaiting almost two years for corrective surgery on a curve on his spine and his condition has deteriorated to such an extent that he now spends almost all his time lying on the floor or in bed.

“He can only be in a sitting position for a half an hour at a time and that is for eating purposes,” his father Tony told The Kerryman this week.

“A 14-year old child should not be in the position that he is in...some-times he even apologies for complaining,” he said.

The family feel they have been repeatedly abandoned by the HSE and despite numerous political interventions the family are no nearer having a date for the operation forcing them to campaign tirelessly for a date for surgery.

“We are annoyed that we have to do this. We shouldn’t have to campaign...we just want a date for surgery. Ronan has suffered enough. We have no choice but to make noise but we shouldn’t be put in a position like this,” said Tony.

Last week Kerry’s new Minister Norma Foley joined the ongoing battle by the Killorglin family to get surgery for Ronan. She has made representations on behalf of the family and has spoken to them on a few occasions since her appointment.

Both Michael Healy-Rae and Danny Healy-Rae have also campaigned for surgery for the 14-year old who has been waiting 20 months for his operation.

A petition has been launched by the family which has almost 15,000 signatures and a social media campaign is continuing to gain traction. All the family want is a date for Ronan’s surgery. Ronan was born with cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic. Scoliosis on his spine is a complication of his condition and has led to the need for this surgery.

Ronan was a ‘priority’ case in October 2018 having first been accessed in March 2018 when a curvature of his spine was 40 degrees. By October of the same year, the curvature was at 79.5 degrees showing a significant deterioration of his condition and the family was informed that his operation would be within months in early 2019.

The curvature in his spine has now increased to a 90 degree angle putting Ronan in severe pain. He can no longer sit up and he will now need more serious surgery than originally anticipated as his condition has worsened.

“It is affecting his health and well-being. It is now compromising his chest and he now needs more intervention than was initially thought because of the long-wait,” said Tony.

When nothing happened in early 2019 the family had more post-op appointments in April and May and were told that the surgery would be in July of that year but nothing happened. In October, they were told the operation would be in late 2019 or early 2020. Still nothing. The family took their campaign to the media in February 2020 and the then Minister for Health Simon Harris contacted them. A provisional date of March 12 was set but due to complications arising out of Ronan having the flu in December 2019 this was postponed for a cardiologist appointment. Covid further complicated matters but elective surgery’s have begun in Crumlin again recent weeks, yet Ronan has no date for surgery.

“Three weeks ago we saw the cardiologist and the following day we spoke to Crumlin but we have no date . .. . We were six days away in March, I know Covid interrupted things but it should never have gone on so long anyway.”

They family fear that they will not get a date and have no trust in the system promoting them to intensify their campaign for the surgery online and in the media. The local community have rowed in to support the family as has Rory’s school St Oliver’s National School Ballycasheen and Tony said they are so grateful for his outpouring of support.

“It is frustrating. We have done so much but we are getting nowhere.”