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Clonmany delighted with Alan's
first op
13.06.07
The Inishowen branch of
the Friends of Alan Doherty are delighted that the
first of several pioneering operations in New York
to give him a new chin went well.
Surgery took place yesterday at Mount Sinai Hospital
with doctors saying the operation "went
beautifully". |
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Alan's father hails
from Clonmany and a sponsored walk from there to
Cockhill will take place on July 1st, to raise funds
for the treatment which will cost in the region of
€300,000.
The 17-year old, who lives in Letterkenny with his
family, was born with a rare condition called
otofacial syndrome. He will need several operations
to build him a new chin. He currently cannot use his
voice and breathes and feeds through tubes.
Before travelling to America, he said: 'I want the
operation because I simply want a perfect chin to |
stop people staring at
me all the time."
His surgery came about after he got to know doctors
through the Physically Challenged Irish and American
Youth Team, a charity that brought him to the Big
Apple to compete in the State Athletic Games.
Reconstructive surgery of the kind undertaken on the
local boy yesterday has never been tried before.
Charities have been fundraising to help meet the
cost of the ground-breaking procedure.
The first phase involved moving a piece of hip bone
to Alan's back where it will grow nerves and other
soft tissue, before being transplanted to his face.
The doctors hope to do the next operation in October
or November this year.
Grace McColgan from Muff, who is co-ordinating the
Clonmany to Cockhill sponsored walk on behalf of the
Inishowen branch of The Friends of Alan Doherty said
the group was delighted the teenager's first
operation went so well.
"It's fantastic news. We thought there would be plenty of
scope to help him here in the peninsula," said
Grace.
"People have been really great and so far we have
managed to raise somewhere in the region of €10,000
in Inishowen. But there's a long, long way to go and
we hope to get people out in force on July 1st for
the sponsored walk."
If you would like to take part or contribute, please
call Grace on 0861091624. |
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