We all have health issues from time to time, but every once in a while those nagging issues can become something much worse than we ever imagined. Unfortunately for 29-year-old Dublin native Conan Kelly, his ongoing health problems that doctors could never figure out turned into a very dangerous situation.
Though a diagnosis eluded them, the medical professionals refused to run a full battery of tests, claiming that Kelly was simply too young to suffer from many of the maladies. Meanwhile, Kelly’s symptoms continued to get worse.
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Unfortunately, Kelly continued to grow more ill. In an interview with the Irish Independent, his mother, Mairead Kelly, explained the situation.
“My son kept trying to work, but obviously he was missing days and turning up late for work prior to being diagnosed correctly. Then he lost his job just weeks before his true diagnosis.”
That diagnosis came in the midst of truly dire circumstances. After getting fired, Kelly quickly took another job in Germany to support his three-year-old daughter Sophie, who remained with family in Ireland.
But while going out to lunch with some of his new colleagues, he suddenly began to vomit blood. He was whisked to a nearby hospital where tests revealed the unthinkable: He had esophageal cancer.
Though esophageal cancer doesn’t get the same kind of press as lung or brain cancer, it’s the sixth most common type of cancer that kills people across the world. Symptoms include having a hard time swallowing, unexplained weight loss, heartburn, and chronic coughing.
In addition to fighting for his life, Kelly also faces financial pressure. His current insurance has a €100,000 limit, and physicians estimate that he needs a solid year of treatment.
His lack of funds means that he can’t afford to stay in a hospital, and he is currently living in a rented room. Mairead has started a GoFundMe campaign to solicit funds for his support.
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“Cónan is living alone in Germany, away from his girlfriend and daughter,” she wrote. “Without treatment, his little girl will grow up without a father.”
She continues, “Every day, this three-year-old daughter asks: ‘Where is my Daddy? I miss him!’ She is too young to understand a word like cancer and concept like death.”
Kelly continues to battle the cancer that has been ravaging his body and recently underwent chemotherapy and radiation followed up by a surgery just last month. While the family is doing everything they can to finance the crisis, they heavily rely on donations through their GoFundMe page.
H/T Liftable
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