Katies fight to keep walking

15/06/2026

On the 15th of September 2025, the day I confronted Micheál Martin about my daughter Katie.

That was 9 months ago.

39 weeks.

273 days.

And I want to tell you where we are now.

Since that day, Katie has seen two more consultants in Ireland.

She has now been referred on to another consultant again.

The HSE also sent us to the Paley Institute for a second opinion.

Dr Paley’s findings were clear.

Katie’s hip is critical.

She has a dysplastic hip, a twisted femur, a retroverted pelvis, and a labral tear.

Dr Paley said Katie needs reconstructive surgery, including a labral repair and femoral and pelvic osteotomy, before the window for reconstruction closes.

This is the surgery we are trying to get Katie to Florida for.

Then Katie was seen by a consultant in Cappagh.

He said that if he operated, Katie’s hip would pop back out again.

He has now referred Katie on to another consultant, with a view towards a possible hip replacement.

So this is where we are.

One surgeon is saying Katie needs complex reconstructive surgery now, while there is still a chance.

Another is saying her hip could pop back out and has referred her on again.

And while everyone discusses, refers, delays, and passes Katie from one consultant to another, Katie is the one left suffering.

Katie is 19 years old.

She has just finished her Leaving Cert.

She should be looking forward to college, independence, friends, and the next chapter of her life.

Instead, Katie has had to defer college because the pain she is in is too severe.

Her friends are moving on with their lives.

Katie is stuck in limbo.

Her hip is critical.

Her pain is daily.

Her sleep is broken.

Her future is on hold.

Since that day, there have been promises, phone calls, emails, appointments, referrals, second opinions, and politicians saying they would help.

But Katie is still here.

Still waiting.

Still suffering.

Still being failed.

This is why we are fundraising.

This is why we are trying to get Katie to Florida.

This is not a holiday.

This is not a choice any mother ever wants to make.

This is me trying to get my daughter the surgery she needs before that chance is gone.

Ireland has left Katie waiting long enough.

Katie deserves more than sympathy.

She deserves action.

She deserves a future.

She deserves the chance to live without pain controlling every part of her life.

Please keep sharing Katie’s story.

Please donate if you can.

Every share matters.

Every euro matters.

And every person who keeps Katie’s story alive matters.

We are not giving up on her.

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/0bd40ba5d

14/06/2026

Make sure to check out our linktree 🔗 for quick access to our Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Vinted and Gofundme fans

just a mum fighting for her daughter trying to raise €300,000 to get her surgery

12/06/2026

Katie’s life in files.

From the day she was born, every appointment, every letter, every report, every scan, every referral, every “wait and see,” every unanswered question.

Nineteen years of her life . 19 years of paperwork. Nearly 16 years of trying to get someone to listen.

This box isn’t just files. It’s Katie’s childhood. It’s missed chances. It’s pain that should have been dealt with years ago. It’s proof that we never stopped asking for help and consultants giving us excuse after excuse.

And the heartbreaking part is, the only one who has suffered through all of it is Katie. 💔
Katies only hope of surgery now is in Florida and we need your help to get her there.
Please help if you can, share if you can't.

https://gofund.me/23589407c

12/06/2026

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/oireachtas/2026/06/11/leaked-chi-report-states-consultants-prioritising-private-over-public-child-patients/

So now there’s a leaked CHI report saying consultants are prioritising private child patients over public child patients.

And people are shocked?

Parents like me are not shocked.

We have been screaming about this for years.

Katie is waiting nearly 16 years for intervention.

Let that sink in.

Not 16 weeks.

Not 16 months.

Nearly 16 years.

Her hip dysplasia was first recorded in 2010 when she was only 3 years old.

She is now 19.

In those years, she has lived with pain, deterioration, missed school, missed opportunities, lost independence, and now she has had to defer college because her body simply cannot cope.

So when reports say public child patients are waiting far longer than private patients, that is not just a statistic.

That is a child lying awake in pain.

That is a young woman watching her friends move on with their lives while she is stuck in limbo.

That is a mother stretching her daughter’s legs in the morning just so she can move.

That is a family begging for help while doors are closed in their faces.

And the only reason we are trying to get Katie to Florida is because the system here has failed her.

Children should not be treated differently because of money.

A child’s pain should not be less urgent because their parents cannot pay privately.

Parents should not have to fight for years, go public, email politicians, contact the media, and fundraise hundreds of thousands of euro just to get their child the surgery they need.

Katie is not a number on a waiting list.

She is my daughter.

She is a young woman who should be starting her future, not begging for the chance to get out of pain.

This country needs to stop pretending we have a fair health service when children like Katie are proof that we don’t.

Public children matter too.

Katie matters too.

Katie has waited long enough.

Nearly 16 years is not a waiting list.

It is a failure.

12/06/2026

7Leaving Cert finally done.

No more secondary school.
No more exams.
No more trying to push through pain just to get to the end of a school day.

My future starts here.

Well… once I get my surgery, that is.

Because while everyone else is talking about college, nights out, work, travelling and moving on with their lives, I’m still waiting for the chance to properly start mine.

I’ve done my part.
I got through school.
I sat my exams.
I pushed through pain most people will never understand.

Now all I want is the chance to move forward.

The surgery in Florida is not about luxury.
It’s not about wanting something extra.

It’s about giving me a life where pain doesn’t decide everything for me.

So today, I’m proud.
I’m relieved.
I’m emotional.

But I’m also still waiting.

My future is there.
I just need the chance to reach it. ❤️

Please keep sharing my fundraiser. Every share matters. Every donation matters. Every bit of support brings me closer.
https://gofund.me/009c8a481

12/06/2026

Katie is gone in for her last exam.

Her last ever school exam.

I watched her go in with that smile on her face, and my heart is honestly in bits.

Because I know what it took to get her to this point. I know the pain she was in before she even wheeled through the door. I know the mornings, the tears, the painkillers, the crutches, the wheelchair, the exhaustion, and the fight it has taken just to get her through these exams.

Most people see the Leaving Cert as stressful.

For Katie, it has been so much more than that.

It has been her fighting her own body every single day just to finish school.

And today, she is doing it.

Her final exam.

I am sitting here so proud of her, but also heartbroken, because after today she should be getting ready for college and the next chapter of her life. Instead, she has had to defer because there is no way she could manage 5 days a week with the pain she is in.

This is why we need to get Katie to Florida as soon as possible.

She wants to move on with her life.

She wants what her friends have.

She wants a future.

And right now, she is stuck in limbo, waiting for surgery and waiting for the chance to live without this level of pain.

But today, while she is in that exam room, I just want to say how incredibly proud I am of her.

Katie, you made it to the final one.

You kept going.

You showed up.

And no matter what happens, you have already achieved something huge. ❤️

https://gofund.me/e9e4e5a3c

11/06/2026

Does anyone know the text number for the Harry styles competition on 96fm.
Katie missed it when it was on an she's gong mad

11/06/2026

The life of a mum who is also a carer.

This is what happens when Katie is in school.

Some people probably think I get a few hours to myself.

I don’t.

The kitchen table becomes an office.

Scanning.
Printing.
Sending emails.
Reading through Katie’s medical files.
Trying to raise funds for her surgery.
Trying to get Cork County Council to make our home accessible.
Trying to keep everything moving while juggling life, caring, cooking, appointments, pain, autism, school, paperwork and everything else.

Today alone, I’ve made croissants, homemade soup, chested and went to supervalue for brown bread, scanned 200 of Katie’s medical files, done physio, packed parcels for the post office, and planned food around everyone’s needs.

Lasagne for us.
Pasta for Katie because her diet is very limited and she can’t cope with the texture of lasagne.

The soup has to be cooked and blended before Katie gets home from school because the smell of it cooking gives her anxiety with all the different smells. Once it’s blended, she’s happy.

Food is never just simple in our house.

With Katie, it’s not just about what’s cooked. It’s about what she can manage, what textures she can tolerate, what smells won’t overwhelm her, and what will actually get eaten.

Her diet is very limited, but when you’re dealing with autism, pain, anxiety and sensory issues, sometimes fed is best.

Parcels are packed for the post office because every little bit helps towards Katie’s surgery.

Katie’s files are still sitting there waiting to be scanned — every report, every letter, every appointment, every missed chance.

And I haven’t even started cleaning the house or making the dinner yet.

This is the part people don’t see.

It’s not just dinner.
It’s not just baking.
It’s not just paperwork.
It’s not just physio.
It’s not just emails.
It’s not just parcels.
It’s not just cleaning.

It’s all of it, all at once.

It’s trying to fight for your child while still keeping a home running.

It’s trying to raise hundreds of thousands for surgery because the system here has failed her.

It’s trying to get basic accessibility in your own home.

It’s trying to make sure Katie comes home to food she can manage, smells she can cope with, and a house that feels safe for her.

And most days, I barely have the energy to walk up the stairs.

But I still have to keep going.

Because when you’re a mum and a carer, you don’t clock out. You don’t get to say, “That’s enough for today.” You don’t get to fall apart, even when you feel like you’re running on empty.

You just keep going, because someone you love depends on you.

And this is just today.

Tomorrow will be something else. ❤️ :::

11/06/2026

File scanning day.

100 done, hundreds more to go.

And honestly, it’s very interesting reading what is actually in these files.

Years of appointments.
Years of notes.
Years of reports.
Years of Katie being watched, measured, assessed, reviewed and discussed.

Page after page showing that this wasn’t something that appeared overnight.
This was known.
This was documented.
This was followed.

And yet here we are, 15 years later, still fighting to get Katie the help she needs.

Every file I scan is another reminder of how long this has been going on.
Another reminder of how many chances there were to step in before Katie’s hip became this critical.
Another reminder that behind every piece of paper is a child who was living in pain, and a mother who kept asking for help.

100 done.
Hundreds more to go.

But I’ll keep going, because Katie deserves answers.
She deserves accountability.
And most of all, she deserves the chance to keep walking.

11/06/2026

We received this amazing book in the post yesterday by the Author Jerry Mulvihill. It's an amazing book giving the insights into the Irish Famine from 1815-1852
This book retails at €35.00 but our one is signed by the author..
I will be putting it on our vinted page if anyone is interested in buying it.
https://www.vinted.ie/member/261932454-katiesfight