Woman who confronted Taoiseach secures go-ahead for daughter’s US surgery
A 19-year-old Irish woman with complex disabilities has secured state funding for life-changing surgery in the U.S. after years of campaigning and fundraising. The HSE will cover the full cost of the procedure and associated physiotherapy.
Why it matters
This highlights the intersection of public healthcare policy, patient advocacy, and the high costs of specialized medical care for rare or complex conditions.
A 19-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, a dysplastic hip, a twisted femur and a retroverted pelvis is to receive specialised surgery in the US following years of campaigning by her family.
In September of last year, Antoinette Burke confronted Taoiseach Micheál Martin on his way into a Fianna Fáil think-in at the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork .
Burke told the Taoiseach that her daughter Katie Byrne had been waiting for surgery for 15 years.
She claimed that if her daughter had received surgery as a child, she would not need a hip replacement now, an operation which can only be carried out at the Paley Orthopaedic and Spine Institute in Florida. The surgery costs in the region of €300,000.
Fundraising was ongoing for the surgery and for post-surgery physiotherapy costs.
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