ONE of the stars of Mrs Brown’s Boys donated €30,000 towards the medical care of a Sligo boy with cerebral palsy.
Rory Gallagher (4) was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at eight months old and his family were told he’d never walk, talk or see properly.
Rory’s parents Shauna and Gerry are selling their family home in order to fund surgeries and ensure their youngest child has every available opportunity in life.
In recent days, Rory’s mother had a phone call from Danny O’Carroll, son of comedian
Brendan O’Carroll, who told her his family had been following Rory’s story for quite a while.
“He asked me how would €30,000 go for us and I just burst out crying. It’s been a rough year, so for this to happen now, it means so much. He’s taken away all that stress. The O’Carroll family made our Christmas. I feel like they’ve given Rory the chance to have the chances he deserves,” Shauna said.
The donation comes from Brendan, Fiona and Danny O’Carroll. Danny explained that he had been following Rory’s progress on social media.
“I knew the operation was coming up soon. I saw at one point they were €30,000 short. I called my dad and my sister [Fiona]. We all agreed to donate €10,000 each. It’s always nice to make the phone call, but I wasn’t expecting that reaction from Shauna. She was bowled over. I had a little cry too,” he said.
The Gallagher family are currently in St Louis, where little Rory has just had eye surgery, which now gives him perfect vision, something Shauna and Gerry thought might never happen.
“Words can’t describe how we feel. Rory is in great form and has been telling everyone that his eyes are now fixed. Lots of happy tears have been shed.
“When he was 10 months old we were told that our baby was blind in his right eye and that the vision in his left was very poor. We were told that there was nothing that could be done. It’s amazing to be here today and know that he now has equal vision,” Shauna said.
Despite the uphill battle Rory has faced since his birth, his parents say he is an incredibly happy boy and always has a smile on his face.
“He’s recently learned he has cerebral palsy after asking why he isn’t able to walk. After we explained it all to him, he just took it all in his stride,” Shauna commented.
If you would like to donate to Rory’s fund, you can make a donation at www.gofundme.com/roryswishtowalk
