This will be an occasion not to be missed.
Enemies, Róisín Ó, Ailbhe Reddy and the Dublin Gospel Choir will be among the performers at a special fundraiser for Denise Ryan in the Button Factory in Dublin next Thursday, 30 June.
Recently we shared Denise’s story with you.
Denise is a 31-year-old from Rathfarnham who is currently battling the effects of Lyme Disease. She is trying to earn vital funds to be able to travel to the United States for life-saving treatment, but she still far short of the €100,000 she needs in order to sustain her life.
In her own words Denise writes:
“I spent the last two years of my Canadian adventure going to doctors and consultants, as my health kept going downhill. I had to come home to Ireland because my illness was getting out of control. I was devastated because I had just been accepted into college in Toronto and was so excited to start learning a new career. Instead, I spent the next year back home going to more doctors and hospitals searching for answers, searching for help.”
After months of testing, Denise was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease.
“My blood tests also showed numerous other bacterial and viral infections, including Ehrlichia, Strep, Epstein Barr Virus, Chl. pneumonia, Anaplasma Phagocytophilum and the Coxsackie Virus. I feel like I got hit by a truck all the time due to such a heavy viral load” says Denise.
Lyme disease is a bacterial illness that can affect the skin, joints, heart, and the nervous system.
Luckily there is treatment available but it’s only currently available in Seattle.
Denise spent 3 months last year over there having treatment.
“As I contracted Lyme disease in North America, where the bacterial strains are different and more aggressive than those in Europe, they have a much greater knowledge, experience, and understanding of the lifecycles of the bacteria. They are incredibly well versed in which medications to use and when to treat the infections and avoid bacterial resistance to the antibiotics” says Denise.
“During treatment there was the first time I started to feel improvement, and to feel like I had hope. But I couldn’t stay as I went on a Visa Waiver program and couldn’t afford to come home and go back. So the progress I was beginning to make, was lost, and my health has been quickly declining again” she writes.
Tickets for the gig in the Button Factory are on sale here, with all of the acts kindly donating their talents for free.
If you can’t make it along on the night, Denise’s fundraising page is still up and running here.
