This article is from page 12 of the 2011-11-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THE people of Shannon have rallied behind a young man who has received treatment for a brain tumour, in the US. Keith Gibbons (34) underwent treatment in Heuston and has returned home, to continue with the treatment. Keith is currently in hospital in Galway.
Keith was initially diagnosed four years ago and, after undergoing treatment in Ireland, the tumour disappeared. Unfortunately, however, it later returned.
His medical bill from Heuston amounted to more than € 40,000 and the people of Shannon have raised several thousand euro through a fundraising campaign. More than € 18,500 was raised prior to a fundraiser in Mayo – where Keith is originally from – at the weekend.
Keith’s friend Don Murphy – who has set up a fundraising campaign said that individuals and groups have come on board to help Keith and his wife Brenda, who is originally from Shannon.
“They are delighted with the funds raised to date and are very heartened by the support they have received. There is a lot of goodwill. The amount of money raised was fantastic. People are rallying around,” he added. “If people want to donate, give me a call. People have been very generous. Companies have given big donations,” said Don.
The couple travelled to the US, after they researched all options open to them.
“We were always being told by doctors that Ireland had everything treatment-wise that was in the US but we didn’t believe that. . . We knew we had to pursue other options,” Keith’s wife Brenda said, while they were in Texas. “Around March I found out about a clinic in Houston, Texas, called the Burzynski Clinic which specialises in a treatment that involves a drug called Antioneoplastons. It is gene-targeted treatment that has seen very good results on brain tumours. It is not a form of chemotherapy and is non-toxic.
“Dr Burzynski’s treatment is not seen as a fully approved treatment yet, even though for years he has been curing people that were told there was nothing more that could be done for them after conventional treatment didn’t work. We sent off all scans and paperwork and, after a lot of correspondence over and back, we heard that Keith was accepted for treatment at the clinic. We knew we had to go for it,” said Brenda.
Anyone who wishes to contribute to the fund can check out the K Project on Facebook or call Don Murphy on 087 9370395.