Family of young Irish man left paralysed after being diagnosed with rare condition thanks public for 'kindness'

The family of a young Wicklow man who was left paralysed “from neck down” after being diagnosed with a rare condition has thanked the public for their "kindness". 

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. 

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

"Zach remains in the ICU at St Vincent’s Hospital under the care of an incredibly lovely team of nurses who have been so kind, attentive and helpful. Zach was unable to pass the swallow test, however he had a four-hour plasma exchange yesterday and is scheduled for 2 other treatments this week, so we’re hoping to see big improvements soon. He now has a speaking valve in his tracheostomy so he can communicate, which has been a great relief to him and his family. Thank you for all the kindness and generosity being sent Zach’s way, and please keep praying for him as he continues his fight towards recovery", shared the family in an update on the fundraiser page.

In a previous note 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.

"Zach remains in the ICU at St Vincent’s Hospital under the care of an incredibly lovely team of nurses who have been so kind, attentive and helpful. Zach was unable to pass the swallow test, however he had a four-hour plasma exchange yesterday and is scheduled for 2 other treatments this week, so we’re hoping to see big improvements soon. He now has a speaking valve in his tracheostomy so he can communicate, which has been a great relief to him and his family. Thank you for all the kindness and generosity being sent Zach’s way, and please keep praying for him as he continues his fight towards recovery", shared the family in an update on the fundraiser page.

You can donate to the fundraiser here.