PICTURES: Laois climb of Croagh Patrick raises big sum for MS sufferer
A young Laois woman has received a big boost in her fundraiser to get radical treatment in Mexico for the debilitating disease Multiple Sclerosis.
Rayanne Dooley, 25, from Borris-in-Ossory who now lives in Enniskillen, is trying to raise £50,000 for stem cell treatment in a bid to halt the progression of the disease, diagnosed when she was 22.
Six months since Rayanne launched an online fundraiser, she is halfway to her goal, thanks to fundraisers as well as sales from her own flower crafts.
The latest boost came from her family and friends who went to great heights, quite literally, to help Rayanne.
They presented the cheque to a grateful Rayanne recently.
"I am so grateful to each and everyone who climbed Croagh Patrick and also to those who gave sponsorship. I am overwhelmed with the amount raised and it is so heartwarming to see family and friends come together to support me," she said.
Further fundraisers include a tractor run on Sunday, September 24 from Knockaroo Community Centre.
Rayanne has a Gofundme page called Life Changing HSCT Treatment for MS. In it she explains her quest.
“I will be travelling to Clinica Ruiz in Puebla Mexico for this treatment as it is not only the best in the world but also the cheapest.
“It is a 28 day intensive inpatient programme where I will first undergo intensive chemotherapy to kill off the immune cells that are attacking my system followed by then having my own healthy stem cells transplanted back in so that the body no longer remembers it has MS,” Rayanne said.
She undertakes to give any unused donations to an MS charity.