Katie's Fight against DIPG

Katie O’Keeffe the most kind hearted funny enthusiastic little 4 year old girl. She went to ballet, swimming and soccer lessons.

On the 4th March her world was turned upside down. Katie was brought to her GP as she had been limping and off balance for little less than two weeks.

The following five days were unimaginable.

Katie was sent straight to Clonmel hospital and then to Temple Street Hospital Dublin where scans and biopsy revealed Katie had a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) a brain tumor that is highly aggressive and difficult to treat.

The tumor occurs in an area of the brain stem called the pons which controls the body’s most vital functions such as balance, breathing and heart rate. Due to its location surgery is not an option. Recommended treatment is radiation therapy however there is no cure.

Within a week Katie had lost the ability to walk and her eye movement was affected.

Her parents were brought into a room and told to go home and make memories as a family, prognosis was less than a year and radiation the only treatment in Ireland may improve symptoms in some patients.

Katie has now completed radiation therapy and she didn’t let it affect her 4th Birthday celebrations in the middle of it all.

Ireland now has little else to offer patients with this type of tumor. Katie now needs to get medical treatment overseas which has shown success in clinical trials at slowing down the tumour growth. This medical treatment now comes at a high cost for the family.

Katie and her family moved home from Australia last year to be closer to family. Her mother Siobhan is off work with their 7 month old daughter Róisín and Dad Kevin has now taken time off work to help care for Katie.

We are reaching out to you to ask for your support in the most challenging fight of Katie’s little life. We are creating this GoFund me campaign to help Katie access the best possible treatment available to her to give her every chance of fighting this cruel diagnosis.