A COMMUNITY will get together next Thursday to help a young Tralee girl who is undergoing an operation on her brain next month.

Twelve year old, Amy O’Connor from Cois Coille, will have an operation in the Beaumont Hospital, Dublin on May 7 to remove a cyst that has developed on her brain.

Friends and family have decided to try and ease the financial burden in any way they can, so have organised a fundraising quiz night in Na Gaeil Clubhouse on Thursday, April 9, at 7.30pm.

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“How it [the cyst] came to be highlighted was that Amy was complaining of a pain in her back last November,” said one of the organisers of the night, Mary Quillinan.

“Her mother was very vigilant and kept at medics to get it checked out. The surgery is a result of all that,” said Mary.

The cyst is pressing on her cerebellum and has caused her to lose her balance at times, along with other effects on her health, making the operation necessary.

The family are hoping to highlight the fact that any signs in a child, like those suffered by Amy, should not be ignored and should always be checked out.

“The reason that we are doing this fundraiser is that, financially, the operation and aftermath is going to be difficult for them. It’s all a for a very good cause,” said Mary.

Amy’s mother is Sharon O’Connor who works in the Shanakill Resource Centre.

She will be travelling with Amy to Dublin in May and will be staying in Dublin until Amy is well enough to come home.

Some of the funds raised will then be going to help Sharon cover the cost of her stay in Dublin.

The price of the quiz will be €20 per table and there will be plenty of food and spot prizes available on the night.

For more information, please feel free to contact John O’Connell at (087) 0534340 or alternatively Mary Quillinan at (087) 3642655.