Dear friends, family, and compassionate strangers, I am reaching out with a plea for help again. Please help our little girl Roxanne get the urgent medical treatment she needs.

Update - 2026 Scoliosis ans Spinal Surgery

Roxanne has severe scoliosis and needs urgent surgery. Our only option now is to reopen Roxanne’s GoFundMe to reach our target of €60,000. We have no choice but to go back to Dr. Feldman at the Paley Orthopaedic and Spine Institute in Florida. We initially went to Dr. Feldman last year where she had major surgery on her dislocated hips and major surgery on her legs. These surgeries were a huge success and Roxanne is now able to sit upright on her own. This alone will have a great impact on her quality of life and mobility for the future.

These surgeries were achieved through the first GoFundMe. We want to thank everyone who helped us reach that goal. Roxanne was left on an urgent waiting list in Ireland for 4 years at that time for hip surgery and was then removed without explanation. She was being neglected in Ireland. We have reached out to anyone we could, including TD's, various consultations, and we have met many parents with children in a similar situation.

Now, we are back in the same situation again with her scoliosis. We are attending all the meetings and consultations in Ireland, and they lead nowhere and achieve little. A few TD's discussed her situation in Dáil Éireann. It is an endless circle of appointments and we keep being told there is help for Roxanne but nothing happens. Untreated, Roxanne's condition will deteriorate rapidly. Thankfully, due to our ongoing visits with the Paley Institute , we discovered that Roxanne needs spinal surgery within a specific timeframe. This is not being acknowledged in Ireland, and therefore will never be treated in Ireland. They've never acknowledged the success of the first two surgeries and refuse to have any communication with the Paley Institute or Dr. Feldman - who were happy to consult about Roxanne’s conditions. We have exhausted every avenue and have come to realise that we will need to raise the money again.

We need to raise €60,000 to help us get the surgery Roxanne needs with Dr. Feldman. You can read Roxanne’s full story below along with updates on her condition and all our visits to the Paley Institute over the past 3 years

. Thanks again for all your donations!

Having met Dr. Feldman and visited the Paley Institute we immediately noticed the difference in the level of care for Roxanne. The Paley Institute provides all the physio required after surgery - Ireland does not. The Paley Institute was so nice to deal with and provided steps and timelines to improving Roxanne's condition - Ireland were very difficult to deal with and oftentimes confrontational, never offered steps or a timeline it was always wait for another consultation with someone else.

As Roxanne's mother, there were several meetings with consultations where I left emotional because of their lack of care, she seems like a number to them. The Paley Institute had nurses that would sit with Roxanne putting stickers on her medical equipment to introduce them to her in a fun and caring way. I was told in Ireland that it was very dangerous to go abroad for treatment - several times. But, I was also told that if I funded it myself then it would be fine, that didn't seem dangerous. I cannot put into words the difference - Ireland has been incredibly difficult without any help and Paley has been so amazing and caring.

Overview of Roxanne’s Journey

On the 20th of May, 2018, my daughter Roxanne and son Curtis were born. Roxanne was born with a rare condition called Arthrogryposis, which severely impacts her physical movement in all four limbs, resulting in her being unable to sit-up, stand, or feed herself. Having been on a waiting list in Ireland for over four years, we decided to seek a second opinion relating to her condition and treatments. After much research, we came across Dr. Feldman MD of the Paley Orthopaedic and Spine Institute.

Who is Roxanne?

Roxanne is now 7 years-old and is the big sister (by all of 1-minute) to her twin brother, Curtis. They are best friends and they do everything together. Roxanne and Curtis also have an older brother, Ryan, who they both look up to greatly. Roxanne’s condition has never held her back, she is extremely intelligent and energetic. She has a love for life and lights up our lives (and everyone else who meets her). She loves to paint, and especially loves unicorns and fairies; she is a real girly girl. She is very patient with everything she commits herself to – you’d be surprised how much she can achieve with her lack of flexibility.

Roxanne is a happy little child who just wants to live life and have fun. She has been meet with huge hurdles and sometimes as her mother I honestly can’t believe how strong and resilient she is. It is truly amazing to watch her go through life and just want to be able to play and paint and go to school like all other little children. Ireland has not done her justice, with every turn we take attempting to get the aids she needs and the life saving surgeries it has all been such an uphill battle.

Youo can view stories on social media for updates like Roxanne painting.

What is Roxanne’s Condition?

Roxanne was born with a disability called Arthrogryposis, a rare condition which affects every aspect of her life.

She cannot walk, crawl, or feed herself because of her condition. She rolls on the floor at home to play and moves about. She has a customised power wheelchair to get around when outside. Roxanne is intellectually age appropriate and goes to school in Gaelscoil Carlow along with her twin brother, Curtis.

Roxanne has been under the care of CHI (Children’s Health Ireland). She waited 4 years on an urgent surgical waiting list to have her dislocated hips done and to shorten her femur to enable her to sit and move more freely.

She never had this surgery in Ireland because she was just removed from that wait list after 4 long years of hoping and waiting. Being removed without explanation was such a disappointment.

After much research, we decided to go abroad to a specialist in Arthrogryposis, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. David Feldman MD of the Paley Orthopaedic and Spine Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Dr. Feldman brings over 25-years of experience in paediatric orthopaedics, spinal deformity and joint preservation to his practice and specialises in Roxanne’s condition. Even with this expertise, as mentioned above Irish consultants refuse to acknowledge Dr. Feldman MD and the Paley Orthopaedic and Spine Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida.

After our initial zoom appointment with Dr. Feldman, we decided to have an in-person appointment with him. We travelled with Roxanne to the Paley Clinic in Poland and we instantly seen a different level of care and understanding, and an urgency to help Roxanne improve her quality of life and her future.

As she has scoliosis, the initial part of Dr. Feldman’s medical plan was to have a full MRI of the spine. This was to rule out any issues with the spine before making a plan for leg and hip surgery.

Updated - Medical Treatment Required for Roxanne

We began this journey hoping to provide Roxanne with a better quality of life with hip and joint surgery that would allow her to be weight-bearing on her limbs and sit upright.

After staying in Florida from April to June 2025, Roxanne had two very major leg and hip surgery’s done for her dislocated hips and legs. This allows her sit upright and be able to move her legs.

Going from strength to strength

Ten months on from these surgery’s and Roxanne is going from strength to strength. She can now sit upright after waiting four years on the wait list here in Ireland. With just two surgeries Dr. Feldman has fixed her legs and made them functional.

This is a huge relief knowing at long last we didn’t have to keep worrying about having these surgeries and she was no longer living with a dislocated hip and the lack of flexibility in her legs.

Nobody should have to live with two dislocated hips for six years.

As we mentioned, Roxanne has scoliosis. Because her legs and hips were left untreated, her scoliosis has become very severe. A curve of anything above 50degrees is seen as being very serious and needing surgery - Roxanne’s is now at 80degrees.

We had our first appointment with a spinal surgeon here in Ireland back in August 2025. It soon became clear that yet again our beloved little daughter would not be getting her scoliosis surgery anytime soon, if at all. Under CHI, our daughter Roxanne has been completely neglected. She was left with hips and legs that needed urgent surgery, and now seven years on to be left with dangerously severe scoliosis, which was caused from the lack of intervention on her hips and legs.

Dr. Feldman said that Roxanne must have her dislocated hips done and be able to sit upright before undergoing scoliosis surgery. He said that time was now of the essence. It was a race to have the hips and legs in a good position and Roxanne sitting upright unaided. To then proceed, without delay, in having this scoliosis surgery done. Now that this has been successfully accomplished - because of everyone’s generosity in donating to Roxanne - we were able to go to Florida and she had two major surgeries and intensive physical therapy for three months - last year. Again, we must leave Ireland. This will be her only chance of having timely surgery to correct this curve on her spine.

She’s doing so well and thriving after everything she has been through. We can’t let this scoliosis continue to progress or it will destroy her life and she will become permanently damaged.

Updated - Funding

We have tried to get funding to bring Roxanne abroad, we have reached out to the Minster for Health. I have spent six months pleading with TD’s, telling them our story, some who brought this up in Dáil Éireann. They refused to fund our daughter to go abroad and get this surgery done.

Dr. Feldman has done everything for our daughter and we are so grateful to him and his expertise, and to everyone who donated.

We ask please share our story and help us again. We need to raise another €60,000. This will help us travel to Florida for surgery that will place growing rods in Roxanne’s spine to strengthen the 80degree curve and stop her spine from deteriorating further.

Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a significant difference to our mission. Your generosity will help us provide the surgery Roxanne needs to relieve the pressure on her spine. We understand that some may not be in a position to donate, but perhaps you could consider sharing this message with your friends and family to help spread the word.

If you feel like you can assist us in a more direct way, you can contact me directly.

Ongoing Updates

We will provide updates on Roxanne’s progress throughout the treatment and how the funds are being used. We want to ensure supporters of Roxanne that the donations are being used to drastically improve her future.

A Sincere THANK YOU

We want to thank everyone for their support and kind words. It is a difficult time for our family and the support we have received from everyone has been heart-warming. Although it will be difficult, with your help we can make such a difference to Roxanne’s future.

Thanks again, from Eileen Byrne Auntie of Roxanne Kelly and Beneficiary who will be overseeing management and withdrawal of the funds to pay for Roxanne's surgery .

Máirín & Declan Kelly, Roxanne’s mum & Dad.