I honestly never thought I would still be fighting this hard for Katie at 19 years of age.

I have fought for her since before she was born. I fought to keep her here. I fought to get her the treatment she needed. I fought for her SDR when people told me it wouldn’t work. I fought when I knew there was something seriously wrong with her hip, even when I felt like nobody was listening.

And now, after years of watching her live in pain, we finally have a surgeon willing to help her.

Dr Paley in Florida has offered Katie the two major surgeries she needs to try to reconstruct her hip and give her a chance of a life with less pain and more independence.

After a huge fight, the HSE agreed to fund Katie’s surgeries, flights and accommodation in Florida.

That was massive for us. It took away the biggest cost and gave us something we had been fighting so hard for — a real chance for Katie.

But the reality is, there are still so many costs that come with getting her through this.

We are fundraising for Katie’s physio, equipment and aftercare before and after surgery.

She is already doing physio to try to get as strong as possible before we go. When we come home, the recovery won’t just stop. She is going to need a lot of physio, rehabilitation and equipment for a long time afterwards.

We also still have to keep our home going while we are away.

The rent still has to be paid. The electricity, insurance, loans and household bills don’t stop just because we are in Florida.

Then there are our day-to-day expenses while we are over there for around nine weeks — food, transport, things Katie will need during recovery and all the unexpected costs that come with being away from home for that length of time.

We are not asking people to fund a holiday or luxuries.

We are asking for help to get our daughter through two major surgeries and the long recovery that comes afterwards.

I don’t want to be sitting in Florida beside Katie after surgery worrying about whether we can afford the next physio session, the equipment she needs or how the bills at home are being paid.

I just want to be her mam.

I want to be able to concentrate on getting her through the pain, helping her recover and giving her the best possible chance after everything she has already been through.

We have come too far to stop now.

I have spent years fighting to get Katie to this point, and I will keep fighting for her for as long as I have to.

If you can donate, even a few euro, it genuinely helps us.

If you can’t donate, please share Katie’s fundraiser. Every share gets her story in front of someone new and that means just as much.

Thank you to everyone who has stood by us, shared Katie’s story, donated, messaged us and supported us through this.

We will never forget it.

We are so close to finally getting Katie the help she needs.

Now we just need to get her through it.