Carlow mushroom farmers world flipped upside down as baby boy is diagnosed with cancer
Local mushroom farmers from Carlow set up GoFundMe for their little boy diagnosed with cancer
Carlow parents Michael and Eilis have had their worlds flipped upside down after their little boy was diagnosed with cancer.
A GoFundMe has been created earlier this month to help the family during this difficult time.
In just over two weeks over €20,000 has been raised by the people of Carlow and beyond to help the little boy and his family.
Michael and his wife Eilis own a local business "Gaelic Fungi Farms" from the farmers markets in Carlow and Kilkenny and are well known within the community.
Their son Cualli is just a year and a half old and is described as “a happy, music-loving little boy who absolutely adores his big brother and his doggy.
“He is full of personality, love and joy — and he has already had to endure far more than any child should”.
The GoFundMe says that for an entire year, his family could visibly see that something was wrong with their beautiful boy.
“We repeatedly brought our concerns to doctors, but time and again, we were dismissed.
“It was only after we made a formal complaint about the delayed results of an MRI that Cualli’s case was finally flagged. We were brought in immediately for further testing, and very quickly we were given the devastating answer we had been desperately hoping we would never hear: Cualli has Cancer”.
“Our world changed in that moment,” the GoFundMe says. “Since then, we have given our absolute all to his recovery. We have explored every possible avenue of support and taken a holistic approach alongside his medical treatment.
“We are incredibly proud of how strong Cualli has been throughout everything he has endured. But this is a long battle, and we still have a very long road ahead.
“Cualli has a very rare and aggressive type of a tumour called Rhabdomyosarcoma that is difficult to treat and requires a very long and multi targeted approach to a cure”.
At the moment, Cualli is continuing his treatment and him and his family now need to travel to Manchester for six weeks of specialist radiotherapy treatment.
The chemotherapy will then continue in Crumlin for the next year and half.
Following this treatment protocol, Cualli will need extensive therapeutic support for many years as he recovers from everything his little body and mind have been through.
“We want to be able to give him that support for as long as he needs it. We also need to be there for Cualli’s big brother. We need the time and freedom to stay home, care for Cualli, support his big brother and give our family the stability, love and presence they need during this incredibly painful time.
“The funds raised will help us keep our family Farm business; Gaelic Fungi Farms running in the background while we take the necessary time to be at home with our children and focus on Cualli’s recovery,” according to the GoFundMe.
“We have always believed that Gaelic Fungi Farms was about more than mushrooms. It has become a community, and so many of you have supported our family along the way. Now we are asking that community to stand beside us during the hardest chapter of our lives”.
The family said that your support will help them continue Cualli’s treatment, provide the therapeutic care he will need for years to come, keep their farm alive and — most importantly — allow them to be there for their children when they need them most.
“If you can donate, share our story or simply help us spread the word, we will be forever grateful. We are fighting for our boy every single day. Thank you for standing with Cualli and our family, and for helping us give him every chance”.