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Keith’s courage nets nine gold

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

WHEN Finglas teenager Keith Kiely lost his speech and the movement in the right side of his body last year he never imagined that just nine months later he would go on to win nine gold medals at an athletics tournament in America.
Courageous Keith from Casement Park has battled with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, a condition where fluid accumulates on the brain, all his life.
However, his situation became increasingly life threatening last year when the process of replacing a shunt, (a device that diverts the fluid from the brain) uncovered a widespread infection on his brain.
As a result of the complication, 17-year-old Keith lost his speech and movement in one half of his body, but miraculously managed to recover in time to compete in the recent American athletics event.
He travelled to the U.S with the Physically Challenged Irish and American Youth Team in June.
“It was great to do so well considering I had so little training done,” he told Northside People.

“I was really quite sick in the months before the competition. I was in hospital for over a month and had a lot of recovering to do in the months after.”
Among the events wheelchair bound Keith participated in were the discus, shot putt, 40-metre, 60-metre, 100 and 200-metre track events.
“I was really surprised and proud to win so many medals,” Keith said.
“I was up against stiff competition and only really had three days training before the events.
“It really was an amazing experience and opportunity and I got to meet lots of people with health conditions similar to myself.”
Keith’s mother, Linda, described the battles Keith has overcome in the last year.
“He has been through so much for someone so young,” she told Northside People.
“It’s hard to imagine how sick he was just a few months ago. Over the past year, he had four shunts put in.
“Last October, while replacing one of the shunts, the doctors found that he was really badly infected.
“It all went very badly wrong, he was in intensive care for two weeks and he basically had to start from scratch to regain his movement and speech.”
When well enough, Keith attends the Patrician College in Finglas but will repeat fifth year as a result of the months he was absent due to his illness.
“Last year, the Make A Wish Foundation sent us to Florida for a holiday but he ended up in hospital with a similar problem with the shunt back then,” Linda continued.
“He really deserved to have something good happen and it did during this trip to America.”
She concluded: “I’m really so very proud of him.”

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