FRIENDS
and family of a Southside woman suffering with a profoundly debilitating
disease are trying to raise money to send her abroad for treatment that could
dramatically improve her quality of life.
Jennie
Flynn (35), from Dun Laoghaire but now living in Leopardstown, was diagnosed
with Multiple Sclerosis in October 2009. In 2010 Jennie’s physical condition
and general health rapidly declined.
The
deterioration in her condition prompted her family to send her to a clinic in
Warsaw, Poland, where she received pioneering MS liberation treatment in
January this year.
Multiple
sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system. Symptoms can
vary widely and sufferers can experience muscle weakness, difficulty in moving
and difficulties with coordination and balance, as well as speech and visual
problems and acute or chronic pain.
Jennie’s
friend Stephen Keegan from Dun Laoghaire explained that her physical condition
has again deteriorated significantly since her treatment earlier this year.
He
pointed out that she needs to undergo an operation costing in the region of
?¬10,000 at the same clinic to improve her physical state.
“Jenny
was a very vivacious, lively and enthusiastic person and then unfortunately
just a couple of years ago she developed multiple sclerosis and she has being
suffering from it since and it has affected her life enormously,
? he said.
“She
is in care now. Her eyesight is impaired and her mobility is not what it used
to be and she has to be helped to move around.
“She is
not in a wheelchair yet thankfully and hopefully she can avoid that.
“This
is a new kind of treatment and hopefully it will help her significantly overcome
her disease and significantly improve her quality of life.”
Writing
on a blog that she has set up to raise funds for her daughter’s treatment,
Jennie’s mother Maria Courtney explained that her health had significantly
improved after she was treated in the Polish clinic earlier this year.
She said
that as part of the treatment at the clinic the doctors unblocked some of her
arteries but could not unblock them all. She said blood flow restrictions were
having a major impact on Jennie’s condition and she needed to return to the
clinic to have the rest of her arteries unblocked.
“She
came back [from Warsaw] a different girl; her eyesight had returned and there
was a startling improvement in her mobility,” she said.
“We
loved the treatment Jennie received at the AMEDS clinic in Warsaw. They
restored her quality of life and we believe that this time once they remove the
total blockage Jennie can start to enjoy her life again: she really deserves
it.
“She has
had a horrific 18 months and we are extremely proud of how she had handled it
but really are desperate to get Jennie better as soon as possible.”
Stephen
Keegan has organised a pub quiz to raise funds for Jennie’s operation in
Poland. The quiz will take place at the Lansdowne Hotel on October 28 at 8pm.
It will cost
?¬50 for a table of four.