An uncle, brother and cousin are running 100 kilometers over three days to help raise funds for Abi, a woman from Offaly, who urgently needs surgery costing more than €90,000.
An uncle, a brother and a cousin run 100 kilometers in three days to raise funds for a Offaly Woman needing urgent surgery in Germany.
Abi, who was born with the rare genetic disease Amelogenesis Imperfecta, has suffered lifelong pain, repeated infections and losing all her teeth when she was 20.
His condition has recently become much more serious. Publishing in the ‘100 km in 3 days for Abi’s surgery’ fundraising pageAbi’s uncle Nathan Bennett explained: “A CT scan showed that Abi’s upper jaw (maxilla) bone is now just 1.4mm thick. It is dangerously thin and is at real risk of collapsing over the next two years.
“If this happens, your face will sink inward and your breathing will be dangerously restricted, likely requiring a permanent ventilator just to breathe.”
Abi must now travel to Germany for a series of surgeries costing more than 90,000 euros, with the most urgent procedure due to be carried out this month. Doctors have warned that after this window, your jaw bone will be too thin to repair.
Nathan added: “We have exhausted all our options with the HSE and Abi must travel to Germany to undergo several surgeries costing more than 90,000 euros, including an urgent bone graft from the hip to the jaw. The window to act is extremely narrow. The surgery must be done before March 2026. After that, the bone will be too thin to repair.
“If the graft is done in time, it will stabilize his jaw. Three months later, he will need implant posts placed to prevent the grafted bone from shrinking, followed by a permanent prosthesis.”
To help fund the surgeries, Nathan, along with Abi’s brother and cousin, will be running 100km over three days with all donations going towards urgent treatment.
Nathan said: “We are asking for your help to make this surgery possible. Any donation, no matter the size, will bring us closer to giving Abi the chance to live pain-free. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing our story to help us reach others who could.
“The race will take place March 6-8. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading, supporting and caring about Abi.”
For more information or to donate, visit the ‘100 km in 3 days for Abi’s surgery’ fundraising page.
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