Dublin mother marries after postponing wedding due to rare liver condition

"A generous, caring, loving girl."

A Dublin mother with a rare liver condition needs to travel abroad for an urgent organ transplant just a few weeks after tying the knot. Sinéad Lowndes was diagnosed with Budd Chiari Syndrome in November of last year six weeks before she was due to get married. The condition affects one in a million adults and is caused by a genetic mutation in the blood. Soon after her diagnosis, Sinéad discovered that blood clots had started to form in and outside of her liver. The 29-year-old mother was forced to postpone her wedding to fiancé Stuart as she prepared for a liver transplant. Following Sinéad's time in hospital, the pair eventually got to tie the knot while their one-year-old daughter Paige looked on. However, a few weeks later, Sinéad was told that she had another blood clot on her bowel and that she would now need a double organ transplant - one that cannot be performed in Ireland. Sinéad's sister, Michelle, says that both she and new husband Stuart will need to move to the UK for treatment, uprooting their family and lives for up to one year. "For anyone who is fortunate enough to know Sinead, they will tell you that she is a generous, caring, loving girl with a heart of gold," she says.

"Back in November, Sinéad was a fairly typical 29-year-old woman - happy, healthy and planning her wedding to Stuart, having started a new part time career, while being a devoted mammy to her one year old daughter Paige. "They are now facing a year of living expenses in a foreign country whilst covering their existing bills and mortgage at home with an income that won't make a dent in their monthly expenses and we, her friends and family, think that money shouldn't be something they have to worry about at this time."

Michelle and some of Sinéad's friends have since set up a GoFundMe to ease some of the financial strain the newly married couple are facing. In just three days, they have already surpassed their €60,000 goal. You can check out Sinéad's GoFundMe and read more about her journey here.