A mum who lost her two sisters to cystic fibrosis has said she hopes a cure is found so her grandson “lives a long life” with the genetic condition.
Jacqui Donnelly, 45, said the invisible illness has devastated her family but revealed treatments have come a long way in the last few years. The healthcare assistant, from Ballyfermot in West Dublin, said her sister Amy was seven when she passed away from CF, while her older sibling Melissa was 25.
Jacqui revealed Melissa’s death was a “real shock” because she lost her life to the condition six months after a double lung transplant. Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Jacqui said: “Amy was seven when she died. She made her Communion in Temple Street Hospital when she was six because they knew she wasn’t going to survive. The hospital put on a fun day for her. She was only tiny when she died. The treatment for cystic fibrosis back then was really bad.”
She said Melissa received the call to get the transplant in August 2002 and told how it was “the best news my family had ever received – it was like Christmas morning”. Jacqui added: “We thought she was going to have a new lease of life and that she would be able to walk around without oxygen but unfortunately the lungs failed on her.”
Jacqui told how her grandson Bronston’s cystic fibrosis diagnosis “killed her’’ but said the treatment for people with the condition has come on leaps and bounds. She explained: “It was a real shock to my family when Bronston was diagnosed. It was very hard to get my head around because I thought it was all behind me after my sisters passed away.
“My daughter, who is also called Melissa, is now pregnant on her second child. And we’re just hoping that baby doesn’t have cystic fibrosis but the treatments nowadays are amazing.
"Bronston is on a cystic fibrosis medication called Orkambi which will please God extend his life. The life expectancy is a lot longer now … I hope there’s a cure and I hope he lives a long life.”
Cystic fibrosis is a multi-organ disease that affects the lungs and the digestive system. Ireland has the highest incidence of CF per capita in the world. According to Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, some people with the condition only live into their teens while others have lived into their 50s.
There are an estimated 1,400 children and adults in Ireland living with the condition. Jacqui, who was raising funds for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland during its recent 65 Roses Day, said: “I don’t think people realise what it is. There’s not enough awareness of how much it affects people. Some people think it’s just like a mild disease but it’s lifelong and there’s no cure for it.”
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