Ballon family hope to raise €35,000 for baby’s cancer treatment

THE family of 18-month-old Cualli Galvez from Ballon, who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer earlier this year, are fundraising so they can be with him while he undergoes intensive treatment in the UK and Ireland.

Cualli’s parents Micheal and Eilís run Gaelic Fungi Farms from their home in Ballon and sell their medicinal and gourmet mushrooms at Carlow town farmers’ market.

They describe their son as a “happy, music-loving little boy who absolutely adores his big brother and his doggy. He is full of personality, love and joy – and he has already had to endure far more than any child should.” Micheal and Eilís said they could visibly see that something was wrong with their beautiful boy.

‘We repeatedly brought our concerns to doctors, but time and again, we were dismissed,’ they said on their GoFundMe page.

It was only after the couple felt compelled to make a formal complaint to the HSE about delayed results of an MRI that Cualli’s case was finally flagged.

“We were brought in immediately for further testing and very quickly we were given the devastating answer we had been desperately hoping we would never hear, Cualli has cancer,” the couple explained.

They were told that their son has a rare and highly aggressive cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma, which affects the connective tissues in the body.

Treatment for such a complex cancer is long and intensive.

“We need to travel to Manchester for six weeks of specialist radiotherapy treatment,” they said. “Chemotherapy will then continue in Crumlin for the next year and a half.” After chemotherapy, Cualli will need “extensive therapeutic support for many years as he recovers from everything his little body and mind have been through.” Micheal and Eilís want to raise €35,000 through their GoFundMe page so they can support Cualli through his treatments.

“We need the time and freedom to stay home, care for Cualli, support his big brother and give our family the stability, love and presence they need during this incredibly painful time,” Micheal and Eilís said.

They will use the money raised to help run their family business while they take time out to be with their son.

“This will allow us to maintain our livelihood while continuing, where possible, to provide the medicinal mushrooms and products our community relies on,” the couple said.

To donate to the fund, please go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-baby-cualli-fight-cancer-continue-his-journey