Life-changing opportunity

A NORTHSIDE woman, who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), is campaigning to raise €75,000 to undergo revolutionary treatment for her condition.

In 2013, Deirdre McGarry (38), from Raheny, the mother-of-two daughters, aged 11 and 17, was diagnosed with MS.

Ms McGarry, who has been teaching at Manor House School, Raheny, for the past 16 years, has been accepted for stem cell transplant in Russia which she hopes will take place in 2017, under the guidance of Dr Denis Fedorenko.

“With MS my immune system thinks my nervous system is a virus and attacks it,” she told Northside People.

“When this happens I have a relapse. Sometimes after a relapse everything goes back to normal but other relapses leave permanent damage.

“In 2013, I had a relapse that has left the right side of my body, from my neck down to my toe, numb and I suffer a lot of pain.

“Every morning I wake up I do a total body check to see is everything moving and functioning.”

Ms McGarry said there are no drugs available in Ireland to reverse or stop MS.

“At the moment I take a tablet every day that puts 80 per cent of my immune system into ‘hibernation’ so there is only 20 per cent active to fight infection and attack the nervous system,” she said.

“Even on this drug my MS has progressed and my brain and spine have an uncountable number of lesions/scars. My spine is particularly bad.

“I also have to get regular checks on my liver and white blood count as this drug carries many side effects.”

Ms McGarry only heard about the new treatment earlier this year after watching a programme on ‘Panorama’.

The programme focused on a new stem cell treatment for MS, known as Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (AHSCT or HSCT).

It is a relatively new treatment that is currently in trials at a limited number of accredited centres in the UK.

“It brightened my day but it also made me sad as I realised how long it will take before it (the treatment) becomes available in the UK and Ireland,” said Ms McGarry.

“However, I was on Facebook and someone who posted a comment about the programme mentioned that the treatment was currently available in Russia so I started to investigate this.

“The feedback on this treatment is hugely positive.

“This HSCT treatment will take my new stem cells – which do not know I have MS – from my bone marrow and freezes them while they mature. I will then have chemotherapy to kill my existing immune system.

“When it’s all clear the extracted cells will be replaced and my body won’t know I had MS. This new immune system will not think my nervous system is a virus.”

After hearing about the treatment in Russia, Ms McGarry began corresponding with Dr Fedorenko and some of his patients.

“I have sent over all my records and have been accepted,” she said.

Ms McGarry said Manor House School has been very supportive of her fundraising campaign.

“They have been fantastic and I couldn’t do this without them,” she said.

“Even past pupils have been in touch to ask what they can do to help, and the students’ parents have been great.”

The next big fundraiser will take place in the Indigo Lounge at Clontarf Castle on Saturday, May 21. Singer Bryan Smith will be performing at the event. Anyone who buys a ticket will be entered into a draw for a €700 prize with The Travel Company.

“All help will be greatly appreciated to help me reach my target of €75,000,” said Ms McGarry, who attends Beaumont Hospital every six months.

“The treatment in Russia is an amazing, life-changing opportunity for me and I have to go for it for my two beautiful daughters.”

•If you would like to help Ms McGarry, she can be contacted on 086-4162316 or email [email protected]