Food poisoning led young Irish man, 24, to be left paralysed 'from neck down' and diagnosed with rare condition

Food poisoning led a young Wicklow man to be left paralysed “from neck down”.

A fundraiser has been set up for a young Wicklow man who has been left paralysed “from neck down” after a sudden illness.

Zach Murphy Kenny, aged 24, was suddenly left paralysed from the neck down after suffering from Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a condition in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves. It can cause weakness, numbness or paralysis.

To help the family of the young man, who is expected to remain in hospital for several months, a fundraiser was set up. In an update shared on the fundraiser page, the family said Zach was diagnosed with GBS after getting food poisoning.

"Day 12 and the doctors have solved the mystery of how Zach became paralyzed and diagnosed with GBS- it was, shockingly, food poisoning. Campylobacter is the name of the bacteria that made him sick weeks ago and ended up triggering his immune system to attack his central nervous system, causing Guillain-Barré syndrome," said the organiser. 

"The first symptom was a tingling in his leg, but 12 days later it’s hard to believe everything that Zach has endured. Since being admitted to the hospital, Zach has lost feeling from the neck down, lost his ability to communicate, had a tracheostomy inserted, multiple blood transfusions, and plasma exchanges. Simultaneously, he has had to fight through aspiration pneumonia, two infections, and a 20cm blood clot," they said.

Even though he is showing "signs of improvement", the young man remains in the ICU - with a long way to recovery ahead of him.

"Thank you for the continuous love and support being sent Zach’s way. He’s going to need it as he continues to tackle the challenges each new day brings on his road towards recovery," said the family. 

So far, €38,882 have been raised to help the family with medical costs.

You can donate to the fundraiser here.