Dan, Niall, Aisling and Bobby, the dog, Donoher made a heart-warming appearance on RTE News this evening.
Mam Aisling and Dad Niall opened up on what it was like when they heard the news about their son and their hopes for the future.
Aisling said: “He met milestones until the three months of age mark. He would’ve been able to lift his head and lift his knees into the air.
“And then he just progressively deteriorated and deteriorated.
“I know that Dan will always be in a wheelchair and that is fine but if he is still with us and he is still independently able to do things for himself while in the chair – that is absolutely perfect for us.
“We just want Dan to be able to go to school, be able to go out training with his dad and me, go to the farm – just to be a little boy. That’s why we’re doing this.”
A massive fundraiser was launched for baby Dan Donoher on March 5, from Ballybrittas, who has been diagnosed with a rare life-threatening disease.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the little boy with a genetic neuromuscular disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1 and Scoliosis.
A breakthrough treatment is available in the USA and to meet the cost, a target of €2.1million has been set.
The reaction to the fundraiser has been huge with more than €1.3 million raised so far from more thousands of different people.
Dan’s parents Niall and Aisling (Nee Quigley) are very well known in the Laois GAA community.
Niall represented Laois footballers at all levels until his retirement at the end of the 2018 season while Aisling, originally from Timahoe, played for the Laois ladies team for a long number of years too. The couple live in Jamestown, on the old main Dublin Road near Ballybrittas.
Dan was diagnosed with this disease last December at the age of 8 months. The life expectancy of an SMA type 1 child is 18-24 months.
A ground breaking treatment called Zolgensma is currently only available in USA and costs 2.1 million dollars for a once off infusion.
Studies show that Zolgensma can substantially improve quality of life and survival of this horrific disease. This treatment is only available to children under the age of two and who meet the requirements.
About one in every 11,000 children are diagnosed with SMA. It had been incurable, but with this wonder drug on the market it offers Dan a chance at improved or even a normal life.
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