Strabane woman’s battle for treatment which will change her life

A STRABANE woman is making an urgent appeal for public support as she faces a critical fight for life-changing specialist treatment.

Maggie Patterson has endured chronic kidney disease since the 1980s. Now, with her health rapidly deteriorating, she and her partner, Kevina McCarthy, have launched a GoFundMe campaign in a bid to raise £20,000 for specialist care that could give her a new lease of life – and make her eligible for a double kidney transplant.

Maggie suffers from Hydronephrosis, a condition that causes her kidneys to swell due to a build-up of urine.

The root of the problem is a neurogenic bladder, which prevents proper bladder function. To manage this, Maggie has had to rely on bilateral nephrostomies – surgically inserted tubes that drain urine from her kidneys into external bags.

Maggie explained: “I started having bother with kidney stones which resulted in parastomal hernias, leaving me in unimaginable pain for which I am constantly taking morphine. I can’t even bend down and I have to lie flat constantly; standing for longer than ten minutes is completely impossible and the constant travel to Galway to have the tubes replaced also really takes it out of me. I deserve to be treated better than this.”

The GoFundMe page, set up by her partner Kevina, aims to fund stem cell treatment – the only pathway left that could improve the condition of Maggie’s kidneys enough to make her eligible for a transplant. Without it, she says her quality of life will continue to decline.

“If I could just get the treatment to allow for the transplant, it would be a life-changer,” she said.

“I wouldn’t be in as much pain and wouldn’t have to rely on morphine and I could get some of my life back. I used to be out and about in my camper almost every weekend now; I’m stuck at home most of the time. I can’t be left alone so, when Kevina is in Athlone, my nephew has to stay with me. Without this treatment, I honestly don’t know what the future holds.”

Despite the urgency and complexity of her needs, she says the support she requires simply isn’t available locally.

“Despite living in the North, it has been impossible to get much help from doctors here,” she continued.

“The tubes, which are inserted in my back, have to be changed every three months and I cannot get them here; the doctors won’t put them on prescription, so I’m forced to travel to Galway every three months to have them changed at a cost of 429 euro per tube. Altnagelvin won’t operate on me because they say it can’t be done on the NHS and I need a specialist. Unfortunately that specialist is in London and it’s going to cost a lot of money.”

The campaign has so far raised £781, so there is still a long road ahead before Maggie can begin the treatment that may restore some normalcy to her life.

“I hope that this will make people aware of the problems I’m currently facing and, whether they want to donate to the page or organise events to fundraise, know that all help is greatly appreciated, especially as there isn’t a lot of money about these days,” she said.

“I won’t give up the fight, I can tell you that.”

To support Maggie’s urgent appeal, visit GoFundMe.com and search for ‘Stem cell & kidney treatment’.