Fundraiser for Wexford mother with aggressive cancer hits €30k after three days – ‘She’s such a fighter’

It started out innocuously enough for Gillian O’Reilly. She began to experience back pains. As they got steadily worse, it resulted in her presenting at the Emergency Department of Wexford General Hospital.

Tests were run, but for a time everyone remained in the dark in relation to the cause of her pain. After suffering a fall at home, further exploratory tests were carried out which uncovered aggressive tumours throughout her body.

The cancer was so severe that some of the tumours had broken her back in three places. Gillian was rushed to the Mater Hospital in Dublin under garda escort where she underwent an emergency nine-hour surgery at the spinal unit there. She would require three more agonising spinal surgeries.

“At that point, there were no guarantees,” childhood friend Laura Peat said.

“It was such a stressful time for her husband Keith and son Scott (16). Gillian is only a tiny little thing and the surgery was very heavy. She was split open from her neck to the base of her spine and she was left with a large open wound.

“She’s in constant pain, but honestly she is such a fighter.”

Gillian would be diagnosed with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma and faced a race against time to recover sufficiently from major surgery in time to start chemotherapy.

“They were great with her in the spinal unit, but she was there for four months in the same room, unable to get up and move,” Laura says.

“It was a proper race against time for her to start chemo, but that’s when she got sepsis, a severe infection that further drained her already exhausted body.

“Most people wouldn’t come out of this. Gillian is absolutely amazing. There was a week where her teams were debating whether the infection had subsided enough for her to start chemo, but I think in the end they hadn’t a choice. The clock was ticking and they needed to get the treatment into her. The cancer had such a grip on her, they needed to act fast.

“To see someone you know so well going through this stress and worry is horrible. I’ve never seen anyone suffer as much in my life. But Gillian is such a fighter. Her strength and determination have shone through. She never gives up and dreams of the day she can return home to her loving husband and son.”

It was with this in mind that Laura started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Gillian, Keith and Scott going forward. It attracted more than €30,000 of the €50,000 target in the first three days.

The goal of the fundraiser is to help Gillian’s family both with the hidden expenses that come with having a loved one hospitalised long-term in Dublin and also with carrying out modifications to her home to aid her return.

As a result of the spinal surgeries, Gillian has lost the use of her legs and it’s been unclear what the future holds.

“She’s still going through chemo at the moment,” Laura explains. “She has two rounds to go. She hasn’t been able to walk since her fall back in January. Long-term, we still don’t know what the prognosis is. There’s still some hope that she may regain some use of her legs.

“It’s just unfortunate that she can’t undergo rehab at the moment as a result of the chemo.

“Despite all this though, there are days you’ll go in to visit her and she’s smiling from ear to ear. She hasn’t lost her sense of humour, despite all that she’s been through.”

The Wexford mother is showing an inspiring determination to overcome the difficult hand she’s been dealt and return to Wexford to live a normal family life.

“Gillian’s son Scott is an excellent musician and he’s really looking forward to the Fleadh in August,” Laura says. “Gill still hasn’t given up hope that she could be home for it. She has a big scan today (Tuesday) and we’ve our fingers and toes crossed that it will be positive news. It’s her birthday next Monday too, so it would give her a real lift.”

In the meantime, Gillian and her family have been utterly blown away by the support they’ve received, both via the fundraiser and through calls and messages.

“On behalf of Gillian and the family, I just want to thank everyone who has donated,” Laura said. “Big or small, it’s given them such a massive boost and is a weight off their minds.

“Having that little bit of financial support is a massive relief to them, but also the amount of people reaching out and sending messages of support has given Gillian a massive lift. People have been so good.”

You can donate to help Gillian in her recovery by via the GoFundMe ‘Help Gillian Come Home. Support Her Journey to Recovery’. All donations are gratefully received and the family wish again to thank everyone who has supported them thus far.