'Help us save little Éabha.' Family make appeal for baby's overseas treatment
Éabha Duggan, born on June 24, 2024, has been diagnosed with a rare and serious genetic condition that requires a bone marrow transplant – a treatment not currently available in Ireland.
Her only option is to travel to Prinses Máxima Centrum in Utrecht, a world-leading specialist children's hospital in the Netherlands.
The Duggan family of Mayo and Galway are now making an urgent public appeal for financial support as their one-year-old daughter prepares for the life-saving bone marrow transplant in the coming weeks.
For parents Tommy (from Bekan, Claremorris, Mayo) and Martina Duggan (originally from Eyrecourt, Galway), this is an unimaginable second journey down a path of profound sorrow.
Their eldest daughter, Saoirse, bravely battled leukaemia after being diagnosed in late 2023. She underwent a bone marrow transplant in February 2024, but tragically, the disease returned months later, and she passed away peacefully on June 15, 2025, surrounded by love.
"To face such loss and now fight for another child's life is more than any family should have to bear," says Éabha's aunt, who has launched a fundraising campaign with the family's permission.
"While the medical costs for Éabha's transplant are covered by the HSE, the overwhelming financial burden of travel, and related living expenses in the Netherlands falls entirely on the family."
Time is critical for Éabha. The "Together for Éabha" GoFundMe campaign has been established in response to the many friends, neighbours, and kind-hearted people who've asked how they can help.
This initiative aims to alleviate the significant financial strain, allowing Tommy and Martina to focus solely on their daughter's treatment and recovery.
All donations will go directly to the Duggan family to support Éabha's medical care and associated costs. To donate to the fundraiser, head here.
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