A GoFundMe campaign set up to help Castlebar native Charlie Gannon has raised over €200,000 of a €250,000 goal in just a week.
In 2008, at the age of eleven, Charlie contracted meningitis. Since then, life has been full of challenges and countless operations. Unfortunately for Charlie and despite all of his best efforts, the challenges continue. He has had to deal with the reality that, having lost a leg and an arm already, he must now have his other leg amputated.
A working prosthetic arm is something Charlie has always wanted but with the upcoming challenge ahead, it has gotten to the point where he will actually need it in order to be able to function in any meaningful way. After his upcoming surgery takes place this September, he will be left with no legs and just one arm and the implications of this for him are huge.
One of the biggest downsides of this operation is that he will no longer be insured to drive a normal automatic car, as he is doing now. Major modifications will be needed for whatever cars he drives for the rest of his life and a bionic arm is required in order to be able to manoeuvre those modifications.
The bionic arm that Charlie is currently being fitted for costs €100,000 and if Charlie wishes to be able to explore other opportunities, such as running, cycling and a return to golf after his recovery, he will also need a bionic leg and he has been told that the cost of these legs are in the same region as well. Charlie has not let these hurdles get him down and he has big ambitions for his life post-surgery. It would be life-changing for him to get these pieces and limbs and for him, it is not an option to wait for them to possibly be part-funded by the HSE.
For more information or to make a donation log on to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/future-for-charlie.
