Athlone woman fundraising for Ruby's Journey with unique business venture
Athlone woman Helen O'Brien is fundraising for Ruby's Journey by selling her own personalised products in a bid to help Elaine Morrissey and her daughter Ruby to have specialist surgery in Spain.
Both Elaine and Ruby suffer from the rare and sometimes life-threatening Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS), a complex group of disorders that weakens the connective tissues of the body and has no cure.
Helen creates her own personalised print items and began producing the various items in early August. She will continue to make them until the Christmas period with all proceeds generated going towards helping Elaine and Ruby to have spinal fusion surgery in Barcelona.
Helen undertakes a mini-marathon every year for a local charity which she did earlier this year for Infinity Friends but decided to do something else to raise money for Ruby's Journey.
Helen said that she came across Elaine's story and met with her for a chat. “The condition was just an awful lot worse than what I knew about so she explained to me then that the only place they can go at the minute is Barcelona.”
The Athlone woman said began creating the personalised items 'accidentally' after first producing football pennants for her partner for Willow Park FC. Helen said: “If everything is still going well and people are still looking for them, what I probably will do is pass it on then to another charity." Helen added that she didn't think that her personalised items would be so popular.
Helen explained that she herself was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 19 years ago. “I've been very sick myself and I know what it's like to be stuck with doctors that just can't understand the illness that you have.
“When I was diagnosed with it I was only the second person in Ireland to be diagnosed. I didn't walk for over three years, I was completely debilitated.” Helen said she is doing much better now but like Elaine had to travel abroad to seek treatment.
She suffered a stroke last July but said she was “lucky” as it was caught in time. “I'm happy to be here, taking one day at a time,” said Helen.
Helen explained that she isn't selling her products at the typical business rate. “The fact that I'm only doing it for a charity, I didn't want to overdo it.”
She is busy with Christmas items at the moment. Helen said that the angel wings are also “very big” sellers for her to remember those who have passed away with personalised photos and messages.
Helen added that she has raised a couple of hundred euro from selling the items in the past few weeks. “Everything I sell is a bonus.”
The bracelets cost just €5 and the most that Helen charges for a product is €20. She's also selling Christmas decorations, personalised clocks, key rings, phone cases, mugs, fridge magnets, cushion covers, angel wings and slate and disc tree hangers. Everything is either made from aluminium or metal so the products are durable and long-lasting.
In January 2020, Elaine accepted there was no medical help for Ruby in her home country, and she fundraised to travel to England in a bid to improve her beloved daughter's health, documenting her story on the heart-rending Ruby's Journey Facebook page.
In the meantime, Elaine was diagnosed with EDS herself in December 2019. Her condition has worsened quickly since, leaving her vomiting blood, in constant pain with major difficulties walking, talking and suffering multiple dislocations, involuntary tremors and jerky movements among her many symptoms.
For more information or to place an order for a personalised item call Helen on 089 6155967.