Kinnitty's Abi needs life-saving surgery for rare condition

A young Offaly woman born with a rare genetic disorder will have to travel out of the country to have surgery for her life-threatening condition.

Abi Finane was born with Amelogenesis Imperfecta, a congenital disorder that affects the formation of tooth enamel, leading to discoloured, fragile and misshapen teeth.

The 23-year-old from Ballyshane, Kinnitty, had the last of her teeth removed in 2023, her mother Sarah saying that her daughter had lived a life of chronic dental pain since birth.

"Abi has suffered with dental pain throughout her childhood. Sadly, she was born with little or no enamel on her teeth," Sarah said. "Through the years we have explored all avenues to resolve the situation for her but unfortunately, she was left with no option but to remove her final 14 teeth in 2023.

"This situation has impacted Abi's life so much. At three years of age she had ten baby teeth removed. We were told that this may affect her adult teeth but we did not know to what extent. She has suffered so much pain which as impacted her confidence levels. Her close friends don't realise the seriousness of the situation."

While the removal of Abi's teeth two years has reduced her pain levels, she now has to wear dentures on an ongoing basis to enable her to eat.

"I never thought a 20 year old would be so happy to have dentures, but they do cause her ongoing pain issues when she has to wear them and ultimately, they are not the solution to what Abi needs," Sarah said.

In April of this year Abi received the "devastating news" that her upper jawbone had eroded to such an extent that complex surgery to anchor zygomatic implants to Abi's cheekbone was the only option to prevent a "life-threatening" situation.

"Abi's maxilla bone (upper jawbone) is too thin for regular implants, so this particular procedure is essential to save her life," said Sarah, who explained that the procedure is not available through the HSE and will require travel to Germany for the surgery.

Sarah said that while there was always the chance that the upper jawbone would lose density, she didn't think it would happen within two years of Abi's 14 teeth being removed.

"If Abi does not have the zygomatic implants procedure her upper jawbone will collapse within the next three years and this would be life-threatening," Sarah added.

The cost of the surgery in Germany "is far beyond what families can afford", and while dental costs have been self-funded to date, Sarah has started a GoFundMe page to help "bridge the financial shortfall" and allow Abi have thw vital surgery.

With an initial target of €45,000, the 'Help Abi Get Urgent Surgery' fundraising page has already amassed donations over €5,000.

"We are completely overwhelmed by the support received to date and hopefully the donations to the gofundme page will continue," Sarah said.

"We are asking for your help to make this surgery possible. Any donation, no matter the size, will bring us closer to giving Abi the chance to live without pain."

To make a donation to the 'Help Abi Get Urgent Surgery' please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/abi-keep-smiling