Local paramedic Shane Tumilty has started a GoFundMe for his beloved wife Gemma after the rapid onset of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Funeral to be held on Monday for loving Belfast grandmother who flew out to Duba...

In the appeal – see it here – the Newry based couple, who have four children, say they have started the GoFundme to help obtain life saving haematopoitic stem cell therapy.

Gemma and Shane Tumilty work for the NHS locally – Gemma as a nurse and Shane as a Paramedic.

So far more than £15,000 has been raised of a £50,000 target.

Shane, speaking from their GoFundme campaign says that “asking for help is not something that comes easy to us, or that is done without knowing the financial stress and burden that we are all under, but we need your help”.

He adds: “Many of you will know Gemma through me, Shane, her husband or through her work in various nursing settings.

"From ICU, Coronary Care or in her role working within Palliative Care, where for several years she has felt truly at home caring for members of our community and their families in their darkest days”.

The appeal adds that Gemma took unwell in August 2023 and “after a frightening few days and countless investigations Gemma was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)”.

"This diagnosis hit us hard, especially as I am already registered as severely sight impaired (blind),” adds the appeal.

"It often makes me wonder how much tough luck one family can endure.

"Since her diagnosis, Gemma has started on disease-modifying drugs, but unfortunately, the results have been limited, and the side effects are difficult to bear.”

It adds that in their search for other options they discovered a treatment called HSCT (haematopoitic stem cell therapy), which uses high-dose chemotherapy and stem cells to essentially reboot the immune system and aim for remission from MS.

"While this treatment is currently on trial within the NHS, Gemma doesn’t meet the criteria, and going private would exceed £100,000—something we simply cannot afford,” adds Shane.

"Fortunately, we have found a highly regarded clinic in Mexico that offers this treatment at a more feasible cost.

"However, we still face significant expense, including travel and accommodation for at least a month while our four children stay with family,” adds the GpFundMe.

“With a heavy heart, I reach out to all of you—family, friends, acquaintances, and even kind strangers—to help us reach our goal.

"Your support can make a meaningful difference in Gemma’s fight against this debilitating condition, allowing us to gain some control back in our lives.

"A special word of thanks to those MS warriors who are continuing to fight this condition day in and day out with us.

"It is no easy task living with the challenge of this complicated illness and its so often invisible symptoms.

"Your kind words and support are invaluable.”

“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for considering our request."

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

According to the NHS Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord.

It cannot currently be cured, but treatment can often help manage it.

The symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) include:

feeling extremely tired (fatigue)
problems with your eyes or your vision, such as blurred vision or eye pain
numbness or a tingling feeling in different parts of the body
feeling off balance, dizzy or clumsy (uncoordinated)
muscle cramps, spasms and stiffness
needing to pee more often or not being able to control when you pee
problems with memory or concentration
sexual problems
Symptoms may come (called "flare-ups" or "relapses") and go (called "remissions"), and may get worse over time.

There are 3 main types of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Relapsing remitting – You have flare-ups of symptoms where they get worse (relapse) and then go away or get better (remission).
Secondary progressive – symptoms are there all the time, and get slowly worse. This type of MS can come after relapsing remitting MS.
Primary progressive – Symptoms slowly get worse over time. There are periods when they go away or get better (remission). This is less common than the other types of MS.