‘It’s every parent’s dream to see their kid achieve everything possible’

“It’s every parent’s dream to see their kid achieve everything they can possibly achieve.”

A fundraiser at a drive-in movie theatre is being held this Saturday at 3pm to help raise for a local three-year-old in need of treatment abroad.

Three-year-old Eve McDermott from Walkinstown is the centre of a showing of Elf at Retro Drive-In Movies in Leopardstown, which aims to raise money towards a six-figure target.

Eve is set to travel to Georgia for her second round of stem cell treatment to help her to walk after she had a serious brain injury at nine weeks old.

Her parents, Dan and Sarah, have set up a fundraiser on idonate.ie to support Eve’s Dream to Walk, hoping to raise €120,000.

So far, the fundraiser has passed the halfway point, with over €65,000 donated to help the Walkinstown kid on her journey.

Eve’s father, Dan, encouraged people to continue to donate and told The Echo that a step for Eve is a step towards independent living, as much as it is her being able to play sports or run around with her friends in the playground.

Dan said: “This is obviously enormously important to use in the here and now, because it means she can’t do all the things a normal kid can do.

“But it also has implications for the rest of her whole life.”

Eve’s brain injury occurred when she developed a life-threatening viral infection in her brain tissues, causing catastrophic damage and resulting in a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Eve spent weeks on life support in the paediatric intensive care unit in Crumlin Hospital following the brain injury.

She underwent surgery to place a tube to deliver medication directly into her heart and received a gruelling schedule of round-the-clock antibiotics and antivirals.

After five weeks, she was discharged from hospital after her condition improved but three years later, she is still chasing her dream to walk.

Dan underlined the importance of being able to see his daughter achieve such a milestone.

“It’s every parent’s dream to see their kid achieve everything they can possibly achieve. I don’t think any parent considers, when the child is born, that you won’t see them do all those normal things, like take their first steps.

“I’m sure there’s probably a little bit of Hollywood-isms tied up in that, but when it comes to actually happening, it doesn’t matter that it’s a cliché.

“It’s really important for every parent to see that happening.”

Eve’s treatment in Georgia will be followed by a 20-week bloc of intensive physiotherapy and rehabilitation in Dublin, Poland and Spain.

The stem cell treatment can regenerate the injured parts of Eve’s brain and could change her life forever – helping her gain the strength and mobility she needs to take her first steps.

Tickets for the event are on sale at evesdreamtowalk and cost €30 per car.