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“There are no words to say how thankful I am”

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0220375_0220246Karin.jpg

Over €60k raised in 24 hours for Karin's vital treatment

By Michelle Crean

A Killarney teacher who launched a fundraiser for vital treatment for a debilitating illness says she is "grateful" and "overwhelmed" after it reached over €60k in just 24 hours.

Karin O’Shea (26) said she had “exhausted” all treatments in Ireland and has no option but to get expensive treatment abroad for Lymes disease.

The Kilgarvan native, who had to quit her teaching job in St Brendan’s College due to her illness, thought it might take months to raise just half of the €45,000 amount needed to pay for treatment, flights and accommodation, but is now looking at heading to Germany next month thanks to people's generosity.

Karin has experienced immense damage to her immune and nervous system over the past 12 years including debilitating neurological symptoms, excruciating nerve pain, migraines, head pressure, short term memory loss, episodes of body paralyses and tremors, slurred speech, fainting, loss of balance, extreme exhaustion, insomnia and nausea.

After visits to countless consultants, undergoing X-Rays, scans, MRIs, and hospital admissions, she says she still had no answers.

Her bloods were eventually sent to Germany to test for Lyme’s disease and the results came back positive, and also showed chronic immune suppression.

She attended appointments with Dr Lambert an Infectious Disease Specialist in the Mater Hospital, Dublin, and was put on antibiotics which she said is the only available treatment in Ireland for Lymes.

On her fundraising page she explained that her private health insurance and the Cross Border Scheme could not assist in any of the costs involved as Chronic Lyme disease is not recognised by the Irish State. She said she had "nowhere left to turn" and that "any donation big or small is hugely appreciated".

Now however, the after smashing her initial target, she says that she is hoping to go abroad in a few weeks to begin her treatment.

"I thought it would take months to raise the money," Karin told the Killarney Advertiser. "That was the reality of it, but the financial burden has been taken off me. How is this even real? I didn't sleep looking at the page. I couldn't believe it. There are no words to say how thankful I am."

There's a three week waiting list for the treatment, and safe in the knowledge that the funding is there Karin says she contacted the medical team in Germany to book in.

"I'm waiting for them to get back to me to confirm my treatment. There's about a three week waiting list for it so I'm hoping to go in March."

The main treatment takes four weeks and includes bringing the body into a hypothermic state, she explained.

Then it's six months rehabilitation.

"They induce a fever in ICU. Once the body reaches 42 degrees it kills the Lyme bacteria. There's blood filtering as well as a detox. It's the most intensive treatment in the world as far as I know."

Kerry TD Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae, who is personal friends with Karin, highlighted her plight in the Dáil on Wednesday, calling for the need for early diagnosis and treatment for Lymes disease.

Karin, who is also very thankful for the support of her partner AJ Christian and close family and friends, hopes to be back teaching once fully recovered.

To donate go to Karin’s GoFundMe: ‘Please help Karin get urgent treatment in Germany’.

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Con O’Leary: Killarney loses a vibrant and popular personality

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the early hours of Sunday.

Con was a vibrant and popular personality in Killarney where he operated The Laurels on Main Street, a thriving bar and restaurant, which he inherited following the passing of his father, Thado.
The business organisation said from a social perspective, The Laurels became the beating heart of the town and it was a landmark at the Market Cross in the same way as Clery’s clock was in the capital city.
Chamber said Con’s passing really marks the end of an era as he was one of a golden age of inspirational local business people who developed and built Killarney, through hard work, bravery and great commercial flair, and helped create the wonderful tourist attraction and holiday destination it is today.
“Con was very proud of Killarney and he played a very active part in progressing the town at many levels.
“He was a man that was never short of great ideas and his contribution to the business life of the town and as a director of Killarney Race Company was immense,” Chamber said.
“He was ahead of his time in many respects with the introduction by what became known as “the singing lounge” many years ago and The Laurels always led by example through its successes in the annual Killarney Looking Good competition”.
The business representative organisation noted that the O’Leary family has always been very supporting of the town and Con’s daughter, Kate, was a very dynamic Chamber President and is still a very valued member of the executive.
Chamber expressed deep sympathy to Con’s wife, Anne, children Kate, Niall, Tara and Lorna, sons-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, relatives and friends as well as the dedicated staff in The Laurels, past and present, who Con always had great time for and a great rapport with.

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All Roads Lead To Kerry For National Road Safety Conference

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29. The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event […]

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Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/

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