Radical treatment for Ria means she could walk again

Friends of a young Killinarden mother left paralysed after a fall while on holiday in Spain are raising money for a radical treatment that could help her walk again.

Ria Doherty (26) was on a holiday with friends in Marbella in May 2025 when she slipped and fell from a balcony.

The devastating fall broke her neck and back, causing catastrophic damage to her spinal cord.

She spent five weeks in a Spanish hospital, enduring two major surgeries and spending five days in a coma, before being moved to the UK for further surgery and rehabilitation.

Doctors in the UK have told her there’s “nothing else” they can do for her, according to her friend Karl Dunne.

“She’s in hospital between Liverpool and Manchester, like a rehabilitation centre, and they’re obviously helping her try walk again but at the end of day now, they’ve told us there’s no hope left,” he said.

However, a specialist stem cell treatment, available only in Cyprus and Dubai, may give Ria the chance to walk again.

Ria Doherty with here son Franky and right in rehabilitation in the UK

“She’s looked into the stem cell surgery, her doctors over there were still saying basically, they wouldn’t go for it, because there’s a chance that she won’t walk again. But it’s a chance that she’s willing to take,” Karl explained.

Ria’s recovery has been very hard on both her and her young son Franky, who only gets to see his mam once a week in hospital in Manchester.

The GoFundMe, launched on September 15, has already raised over £30,000 of its £100,000 goal.

The funds will not only go towards the costs of Ria’s surgery, which Karl is hopeful will happen in the new year, but also go towards adapting Ria and Franky’s home in Dublin to better suit her recovery and mobility after the surgery is completed.

“It comes obviously at a big significant price, but anything is worth it to get her back being herself again, back to Ireland and where her child is, and just start a fresh life again,” Karl said.

You can donate to the ‘Now Is the Time to Help Ria’ fundraiser on GoFundMe.