The family of an eleven-year-old Galway girl is facing up to an unfathomable new reality after surgery left their little girl paralysed from the neck down.

Eleven-year-old Izzy Sallis from Mullagh underwent a procedure designed to relieve her skeletal pain, but she awoke from the operation unable to move from the neck down — or breathe on her own — after suffering a catastrophic injury to her brain stem and spinal cord.

Four months on, she remains paralysed in ICU at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, where she celebrated her twelfth birthday.

Izzy was born with Hurler Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, and has faced significant medical challenges. She underwent a bone marrow transplant at 14 months old, and despite chronic pain, approached life with humour and fierce independence.

“Izzy is an absolutely beautiful girl, inside and out,” says her mother, Deborah. “To know her is to fall in love with her. She’s very kind, and has a very strong sense of fairness and justice. She wouldn’t like to see people being unkind or see anybody being left out. She is so incredibly funny and she makes me laugh every single day.

The recent operation was planned to ease pressure and discomfort caused by scoliosis. Instead, it had devastating consequences, shifting her world on its axis.

A GoFundMe campaign has since been set up to support Deborah’s ‘beautiful daughter’, who she says is ‘terrified’ about what has happened to her.

To donate, visit GoFundMe and search: “Izzy’s Fight: Funding Critical Care After Spinal Cord Injury.”

Caption: A smiling Izzy Sallis before her operation.

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