GRACE O'Malley, 9, with her brother Mark and Rian Mearns with his brother Cillian. Grace and Cillian both suffer from a rare degenerative neurological condition, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Photo: Ray Ryan

Fighting for a life-changing chance

Published: Wed 19 Sep 2018, 4:13 PM

Last updated: Wed 19 Sep 2018, 5:19 PM

A SHRULE mother will travel to the Dáil tomorrow (Thursday) with her six-year-old son to demand access to a treatment that will transform his young life.
Lorraine Mearns and her son Cillian will be among a group of 25 families lobbying Health Minister Simon Harris to sanction the use of a drug to treat a rare degenerative neurological condition.
Cillian was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) three years ago and is confined to a wheelchair. A drug therapy, Spiranza, has been shown to arrest symptoms of SMA and in some cases reverse the effects of the condition.

Read the full story in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald