Together for Fiadh

A fundraising campaign to support Fiadh in her fight against neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer with a heartbreaking risk of relapse, and to give her the best chance at a cancer-free future.

Tragically, Neuroblastoma has a high likelihood of returning, leading Fiadh’s family to seek maintenance treatment abroad. Available only in the U.S, this treatment will help reduce the risk of relapse, allowing Fiadh to close this difficult chapter and embrace life as the joyful, loving little girl she truly is.

How Fiadh’s story began...

In October 2023, Fiadh was a happy inquisitive little girl, who loved going to pre-school and playing with her younger brother Barra. Fiadh’s appetite in the previous few weeks had dipped and her energy levels were nowhere near what they used be. When Fiadh got a pain in her abdomen her parents knew something was not right. Fiadh went to her local A&E in Tralee and was admitted. Shortly after an ultrasound was conducted Fiadh was transferred via ambulance to Crumlin’s Children’s Hospital for further scans and tests. It was there that her parents heard her diagnosis and the word cancer, a word no parent should ever have to hear. Fiadh was diagnosed with Stage 4 High risk Neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer. The severity of her diagnosis meant that she would endure 18 months of high intensity treatment which started immediately. 

Fiadh’s battle so far..

Fiadh has bravely faced 17 months of intensive treatment, which included chemotherapy, surgery to remove the primary tumour, a stem cell transplant, and radiotherapy. She is now in the final phase of her treatment-immunotherapy. Despite the challenges and exhaustion, Fiadh has maintained a positive attitude throughout. Although her energy was often low, she found comfort in simple joys like playing with her dolls and making jewellery, learning with her teacher in Crumlin, arts and crafts, reading stories with her parents, and FaceTiming with her brother. These moments kept her strong and connected as she navigated this difficult journey.

In May 2024, the arrival of her baby sister, Aoibhín, filled Fiadh with immense pride and happiness. Alongside her brother Barra, she now had a new sister to share her love for dressing up, dolls and jewellery. Aoibhín's birth gave Fiadh a renewed sense of purpose, lifting her spirits on the hardest days and helping her get through her treatment in hospital so she could return home to be with her brother and sister.

Fiadh today...

Thankfully, Fiadh has responded well to her intense but lifesaving treatment, despite the incredibly challenging times she has faced over the past 17 months. Fiadh continues to shine with her vibrant personality and sense of fun, and her unwavering determination to fight through this journey fills us with pride every single day.

Her extraordinary strength and resilience never cease to amaze us. Alongside the exceptional care and treatment provided by the team at St. John's Ward in Crumlin CHI, who we will be forever thankful for, this has brought us to where we are today in our journey.

What’s next for Fiadh...

Fiadh's current immunotherapy treatment will hopefully be the final stage of her frontline care. Fiadh will then have her final set of scans and we hope and pray that they will show no evidence of disease. The next stage is to do everything we possibly can to prevent Fiadh’s cancer coming back after her treatment ends in Crumlin. Devastatingly, high-risk Neuroblastoma has a very high relapse rate, and limited treatment options if relapse occurs. This makes the long term survival rate unthinkable.

There are maintenance therapies for Neuroblastoma available that aim to prevent the disease from returning. Unfortunately, children from the Republic of Ireland can only avail of these therapies through clinical trials in the USA. These trials are extremely costly, which is why we urgently need your support.

We’ve set up this fundraising campaign, along with family and friends, called “Together for Fiadh” to try and raise as much money as possible to access these clinical trials. Fiadhs mam, Anne Marie Dempsey, has set up a new bank account for all monies raised to go into which will go towards the maintenance therapy Fiadh needs to beat cancer for good. However, if any additional money is raised, we will be donating this excess to 3 incredible charities: Aoibheann's Pink Tie, Barretstown and Neuroblastoma UK (fighting children's cancer).

Thank you for your ongoing hope, prayers and support for Fiadh. We can't express enough how much it means to us during the most challenging journey any family could face. Please help us give our precious girl the best possible chance at a healthy, fulfilling, and bright future.

Frank, Anne Marie, Barra, Aoibhín and our amazing Fiadh!