A MOTHER has issued a plea to the Government to fund vital surgery in the UK for her 12-year-old daughter, who suffers from crippling curvature to her back.

Ann Marie Kelleher's pain is excruciating, and she is bent over sideways because of scoliosis of the spine, which she developed as a secondary symptom of the complex neurological condition, Rett Syndrome.

Her mother, Bernie, from Killavullen, north Cork, says Ann Marie has had "zero quality of life" for almost a year. She says she is devastated at having to watch her go through day after day of suffering.

"Do we have to lose Ann Marie for someone to take notice?" she said yesterday.

"It is murder watching Ann Marie when she is in constant pain, but it is even worse when she is happy, in a way, because her smile would break your heart. She is experiencing serious breathing problems, she is so bent over.

"Both of her lungs are on the verge of collapse. We could lose her at any time. The buck has been passed over and over.

"Nobody wants to help. We just get passed from person to person. Ann Marie cannot sit, sleep or leave the house. It just can't go on."

Ann Marie has been on a waiting list for surgery at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin since last spring.

Frustrated by the delays, Mrs Kelleher and her husband Tom decided to contact an orthopaedic surgeon in the UK who has specialised in Rett Syndrome for more than 20 years. Dr David Harrison told the Kellehers that the type of surgery he carried out would enable Ann Marie to walk again.

His surgery involves breaking down the bone in her curvature and redirecting nerves to her feet.

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Mrs Kelleher is hoping to get funding from the National Treatment Purchase Fund or the Treatment Abroad Scheme in order to pay for the life saving surgery in the UK. It is estimated the surgery would cost about £80,000 (€107,330).

Meanwhile, the director of the Rett Syndrome Association in the UK, Ron Overton, says there is no excuse for what Ann Marie is enduring.

"Her condition is distressing," he said.

A consultant at Crumlin Hospital has written a letter, saying that Ann Marie be allowed travel to the UK under the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

Established in April 2002, the NTPF is one of the initiatives outlined in the Health Strategy to reduce long-term waiting lists.

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- Olivia Kelleher