Boy with 'devastating condition' told help will cost millions amid Go Fund Me appeal

Thousands of people from all over Ireland have come together to raise funds for Archie Ennis, a seven year old boy diagnosed with a devastating condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Archie was diagnosed just days before Christmas 2024 and was told treatment would cost €3.2 million in America.

His mother Una Ennis, set up a Go Fund Me which has raised €567,860 for Archies medical treatment, and since then there has been countless fundraising events organised for Archie, including a 100k 'Run for Archie Ennis' which is taking place on Tuesday April 15.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a serious condition that causes progressive muscle weakness.

Una said Archie is finding it hard to stand up and walk up the stairs and that most boys with his condition end up in a wheel chair and have a shorter life time expectancy.

"As parents we are devastated and desperate to get Archie treatment to stop this from progressing," Una said in the Go Fund Me.

"We found a doctor in LA that said Archie is eligible for gene therapy in the hospital. Unfortunately this cost 3.2 million euro starting off. They will charge extra for us to stay there to monitor Archie after the treatment is giving. As parents we want to show Archie we tried everything to stop this from happening," said Una.

Another Go Fund Me has recently been set up called, "#TEAM ARCHIE" which aims to raise €100,000.

"Together with Fairstone, we’ve launched #TEAMARCHIE—a community united to give Archie a fighting chance. Our mission is clear: raise xx euros to send Archie to the U.S. for groundbreaking treatment that could slow the progression of MD—and keep him running, laughing, and living the life every child deserves. Time matters. Archie’s childhood is on the line," the Go Fund Me said.

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A participator of a 100K run for Archie, called Christopher Connolly, shared a post on Facebook which said, "Archie has a massive fight on his hand so between now at the 7th June I’ll be doing everything I can to raise as much money as possible. Archie’s mam and dad are doing everything they can for there little boy but you can also do so much too."

Another fundraising event is a fight night to raise funds for the seven year old boy.