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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Michelle Cullen & Emma Nevin

Fundraiser for Irish toddler left with life-changing injuries after car accident

An Irish toddler has been left with life-changing injuries after she was severely injured in a car accident last month.

Three-year-old Mya Ekwe was seriously injured after a car accidentally reversed over her while she was playing on her scooter near her home in Finglas, Dublin, on May 17.

Almost a month on, Mya is still undergoing treatment in Temple Street Children's Hospital and is said to be making "small progress every day".

READ MORE: Teenager in ICU after suffering more than 200 breaks in horror Belfast crash

Sadly the incident has left Mya blind in her left eye, and her family were told she now has cerebral palsy as a result of her injuries.

They said it is a "miracle" that Mya is still alive.

Speaking to Dublin Live, Mya's dad Andy said she was put into an induced coma for two weeks after the accident.

"She was put into an induced coma. It happened on May 17, and she woke up on June 1 with a big smile on her face," he said.

Mya Ekwe (Submitted)

"Since then, they've given her botox in both legs and also in her left arm to help with the muscles from lying in bed for so long.

"She is now blind in her left eye, and we were told she has cerebral palsy. We just don't know the severity of it because she's still on other medications.

"She also has dystonia and the medications treating that makes her tired, so she's spending a lot of time sleeping.

"They are weaning her off of the medications, so she'll start to come around even more. Basically, they can't assess her until she comes around fully.

"She's moving her leg, and pretty much that's it because she can't move her head or arms."

Andy said they aren't certain if Mya will be able to talk or walk again, but she is making progress.

"She is making small progress every day," he said.

"She laughed yesterday. We had her doll in front of her, and when we pressed the button, she reacted and laughed.

"It was a lovely moment."

Mya Ekwe (Submitted)

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for Mya's recovery, and her older brother Tyrick is running 100km over the course of 20 days to fundraise for his sister's medical costs and provide financial support for the family.

Andy said: "He's doing 5k a day for 20 days. He's doing them in good times.

"The plan is that myself, Mya's mammy, my parents and a lot of family to do the last one with him on June 20."

Almost €12,000 has been raised so far.

If you would like to donate to the fundraiser for Mya, you can do so here.

A garda spokesperson said: "Gardai are investigating a road traffic collision that occurred in the Heathfield area of Finglas on Tuesday 17 May 2022 at approximately 10.30am."

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