Downpatrick mum to get multiple sclerosis treatment

Downpatrick mum to get multiple sclerosis treatment

11 January 2017

A DISABLED Downpatrick mum is expected to be the first MS sufferer from Northern Ireland to undergo potentially life-changing treatment this summer.

Nicola Feenan has been offered a July appointment for pioneering stem cell transplantation in Mexico, which she hopes may help her walk again.

The brave mother of two, who is just 35, is wheelchair-bound after being diagnosed with MS almost 10 years ago.

She says the offer of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT), which is used to reduce or reverse the symptoms of debilitating MS, has given her hope for a healthy future for the first time since her diagnosis.

Unable to avail of the treatment through the NHS, due to the progressive nature of her illness, she launched a major fundraising drive with her sister, Gillian Rea, in September, aiming to raise the £50,000 to self-fund HSCT in a specialist South American clinic.

Now offered a date for the treatment, Nicola said she is excited by what lies ahead, but is under increasing pressure to complete her fundraising within the next few months.

Overwhelmed by local support for her fundraising campaign, which has already exceeded £30,000, she said she is “hoping against hope” to raise the remainder in time for her appointment.

Despite a Strictly Come Dancing event at Downpatrick Cricket Club on April 1 in the pipeline, as well as a coffee morning in Ballee Non Subscribing Presbyterian Church Hall on February 11, a Spinathon hosted by Downpatrick Boxing Academy on February 18 and a Lip Synch event, also at the Cricket Club, the following weekend, Nicola said she can’t help but feel nervous in case she is unable to meet her target.

“The whole thing is becoming real now that I have a fixed date, whereas before it felt like it would never come around,” she said.

“I am so so grateful to everyone who has backed me so far, the huge community support has been unbelievable.

“I just hope I can make it to the full amount, keep well and not have any major relapses so I am fit for the treatment.”

Although the date offered is sooner than originally anticipated, Nicola said she is keen to get HSCT “over and done with” in the summer months so she can recover and concentrate on family life once again.

Recognising the serious risks of the gruelling treatment, which involves high doses of chemotherapy, she says she feels, as a mother of two young children, that she has no choice but to try to improve her health for their sake.

“It is exciting and I am looking forward to getting it over with, but there are also nerves as I know some people are wondering if I should go ahead with it because it is so harrowing,” she said.

“People are afraid of HSCT as there are great risks and it is the highest dose of chemotherapy that can be tolerated, you need to be in good health and it is not to be entered lightly. 

“My immune system will be wiped and I will need all my childhood vaccinations once again. I will need to stay in a clean environment for quite a while until I rebuild my strength and there are further injections I will need on my return home, which will cost £8,000.

“Although the children are the main reason I am doing this, they are also the reason I am frightened about it.

“I have been getting a lot of support from other people around the world who are on waiting lists, many of whom are also parents.

“I know there are a lot of people with MS who are waiting to see how I get on before they decide whether or not to go ahead with HSCT themselves, so I suppose I am a bit of a guinea pig.”

Nicola said her dream is to be able to walk, even if it means using crutches.

“I have no control over what is ahead. All I can do is try to keep life as stress-free as possible so I am as well as I can be for the treatment,” she said.

Gillian, who is co-ordinating the fundraising drive, says she is also driven by the dream of seeing her sister walk again.

Buoyed by public support, she admits she is afraid that fundraising might slow down and they will be unable to meet their £50,000 goal.

Gillian, who is training to run the Jimmy’s 10K race in Downpatrick in March with over 30 supporters, said she will do whatever it takes to get Nicola to Mexico.

“We are very close and it has been awful to watch her get sick, it has been very very hard. It would be just amazing if Nicola could walk again and that is what keeps us going.”

Anyone who would like to back Nicola’s campaign may do so through her Just Giving webpage https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpnicbeatms or by contacting her through Facebook Help Nicola Beat MS.