National award for courageous Casey

A 12-year-old Mullagh girl has won a National Children’s Award.

Casey Fitzgerald, was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia, a type of Cerebral Palsy when she was 22-months-old.
She won the Woman’s Way Pharmaton Child of Courage Award last week in recognition of all she has gone through over the years in her determination to walk.
Casey uses a walker and crutches and her beloved assistance dog Harrison to get around - something that seemed impossible when she was first diagnosed.
She underwent pioneering surgery in Bristol six years ago and has been through many other operations and procedures since - but smiles through it all and shows a fierce determination to walk.
She also now has scoliosis, so has further treatments and surgeries ahead of her.
Casey, her Mum, Tracey, Dad, Noel and brother Josh travelled to Dublin Zoo last week to collect Tracey’s award.
“She was very excited and won a lot of other prizes including a tablet, vouchers for Penneys, Dealz, Heatons, Dublin Zoo and Tayto Park,” says Mum, Tracey.
When she was still a baby, Casey’s parents were told their little girl would be permanently confined to a wheelchair by the time she was 10.
At five-years-old she was able to take a few painful steps, but doctors warned that unless she had surgery, she would be wheelchair-bound within a further five years.
Her family were determined not to give up and researched her condition - learning that pioneering surgery, which was being carried out in the UK, could give her a chance to walk.
The surgery, called Selective Dorsal Rhiziotomy was not performed in Ireland and was not funded by the HSE. Casey would also need years of intensive physiotherapy and rehabilitation afterwards.
Her mum Tracey got a fundraising team together called ‘Casey’s Dream Appeal’ and after months of all sorts of innovative fund raisers they achieved their target of €30,000 and in January 2012, Casey underwent the life-changing surgery in Bristol Children’s Hospital.
Shortly after her surgery Casey started the hard work of learning to walk.
“She had intensive physiotherapy five days a week as well as horse riding which helped with her stability,” Tracey explains.
“When she was 18 months over the surgery, she was walking with poles but as time went on it became apparent she was having problems with her feet.”
Casey then had to have surgery on her hip in Dublin, but that was unsuccessful.
She returned to Bristol where she had her hip done and her left leg and foot realigned.
Since then, Casey has received an assistance dog, Harrison, a golden retriever who helps stabilise her while she is walking.
By next Easter, Harrison will accompany her to her school.
Tracey would like to thank all those who supported the fund raising campaign ‘Casey’s Dream Appeal’ which helped with her surgery and extensive aftercare. “People have been very generous.”
“Casey’s surgery was life-changing and now with Harrison, there will be even more changes.”
“Casey really deserved her award. She has been through so much over the years, and has worked so very hard, is so very determined, I am really proud of her,” says Tracey.