Paralysed mum in bid to walk again

A major campaign has been launched to help a Trim mother of two - who is paralysed from the chest down - to walk again.
Lorraine O’Brien is a 39 year old single mother who has been unable to walk since an operation in January 2014.  
A Trust has been set up for Lorraine, from Newtown, Trim,  who has struggled to find appropriate facilities in Ireland to help her in her rehabilitation.
Her friends and family are hoping to raise funds to send Lorraine to attend a facility in the USA called Barwis Methods, which has been successful in helping people with spinal cord injuries to walk again.
Doctors at the facility believe there is a good chance she will be able to get up and walk again after intensive therapy there,
Lorraine’s spinal cord was not severed but was damaged, so there is hope she could regain movement. The Barwis Methods facility in Michigan has had amazing success in treating cases like Lorraine’s, but there is no similar facility here in Europe. She is currently awaiting a start date for her treatment.
The Trust needs to raise in excess of €100,000 to pay for the treatment - this will cover the therapy itself, accommodation and a full time carer when she is over there, as Lorraine is currently totally reliant on carers.
Lorraine was an active and busy single mother, who drove to Dublin every day, where she worked in a bank, until disaster struck. On November 23rd 2013, Lorraine stretched while getting out of bed and felt a snap in her neck and shooting pain down her arm. She consulted her local doctor and was referred to a Private Hospital in Dublin where she was diagnosed with having two prolapsed discs in the neck and it was recommended that she undergo surgery to replace the discs with a titanium plate.
The operation was scheduled for 20th January 2014.
“When I regained consciousness after the operation, I could not feel my legs. An emergency MRI scan was organised showed that the plate was in the wrong position and resting against the spinal cord.
“I was told that the level of damage to the spinal cord was such that I would be paralysed from the chest down.”
It was a devastating blow and she was kept in intensive care until March 2014 and was then transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) for three months.
Since being released from the NRH, she is totally reliant on carers and although she tries to be as independent as she possibly can, it is an extremely slow and frustrating process.
The Barwis Methods facility’s team of certified trainers evaluate each patient focusing on movement patterns, strength, flexibility, functional ability, balance, and tone and offer Lorraine a good chance of walking again.
Her friends have gathered round and are planning a number of fund raising events. Lorraine’s sister who lives in Oslo is planning to run a half marathon for the fund and a number of other fund raisers are in the pipeline,
“Since my injury, my family and I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the love and support received from everyone in my hometown of Trim and surrounding areas. I am extremely appreciative of everyone’s support to date and fingers crossed I will raise enough to get to USA. All going well, I will post regular updates while I’m there and keep everyone posted on my progress,” she says.
Donations can be made to http://www.gofundme.com/lorraineobrien or The Lorraine O’Brien Trust Account at Permanent TSB, Account Number: 23270172, Sort Code: 990659.