Communities 18,000km apart come together to help Saoirse

Communities in Meath and New Zealand have come together in support of five-year-old Saoirse Gaffney, who was recently diagnosed with stage five cancer.
Brave Saoirse is a daughter of David Gaffney (33) from Carlanstown, who has settled in Wellington, New Zealand, with his French-born wife Sylvaine. The couple also have an 11 month-old son, Benjamin.
News of Saoirse’s diagnosis just over a month ago came to as a devastating blow and a complete shock to the couple who had just hours to pack a bag and fly to Christchurch where Saoirse is receiving treatment.
Sadly, David lost his own mother, Tina (56), to cancer in 2013, after a brave battle that saw her travel to the US for surgery that helped prolong her life.
David told how Saoirse had never really been sick before and it came as a huge shock to the family when an MRI scan showed she had 26 tumours in her body.
The Gaffneys took Saoirse to her GP about two weeks before she was diagnosed as she was complaining of a tummy ache. The GP couldn’t find anything and said it must be a tummy bug.
“She seemed OK for a few days and, two weeks later, she was sore again. We took her to the A&E after feeling a lump. It wasn’t normal and didn’t feel right and we thought it might be appendix,” David recalled this week. “They did an MRI scan and admitted her straight away.”
He explained that the scan showed Saoirse had 26 tumours - four on her left kidney, three on her right and 19 on her lungs.
The largest tumour is in her left kidney and is the size of four apples, another is the size of a tennis ball.
Saoirse has been diagnosed with bilateral Wilms tumours which means they are in both kidneys and lungs. “It is stage five which is the most advanced and risky,” added David.
At the moment, Saoirse is facing nine months’ treatment of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It is likely that Saoirse will be facing a kidney transplant in the future and one of the fears for the Gaffneys is the low donor rate in New Zealand.
A rare condition, there are only a few cases a decade in New Zealand and the family is also looking to the United States for information and possible treatment options where there are 20-30 diagnosis a year. Doctors in New Zealand do not feel her left kidney can be saved.
However, from their communication with doctors in the US, David said they are cautiously optimistic that doctors may be able to save some tissue from the left kidney using more aggressive techniques.
Family and friends were devastated to hear about Saoirse’s diagnosis and David’s father, Jim, and sister, Amy, travelled to New Zealand to be with the family for a couple of weeks.
At home, the Carlanstown community is rallying around to help the family and give whatever support they can. A support campaign has been set up, and among the fundraisers that have already taken place were a quiz and barbecue in Kiernan’s Bar in Carlanstown and a bake sale at the Kells Resource Centre.
A golf classic will take place in Delvin Golf Club on 16th July and a benefit night has been organised in The Martry (formerly the Silver Tankard) on 23rd July with music by the Jones. The main fundraiser being planned is a village fair day towards the end of August or early September.
Anyone interested in holding an event, getting sponsorhip cards or a donation bucket can contact David’s sister, Karen, on (087) 9378781 or her husband, Chris, on (086) 4108554.
A Facebook group 'Support for Saoirse’ has been set up with details of upcoming fundraisers and progress reports on Saoirse’s condition.