Raising awareness for MDS
Two years ago, Greystones native Edel O’Meara (picutred) was diagnosed with a condition called Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a pre-leukaemic conditions for which there is no cure. Now living in surrey, she talks to Robert Mulhern about her diagnosis, treatment and a growing commitment to an awareness campaign.
“I was diagnosed two years ago. I knew something wasn’t right because I was getting lots of nose bleeds and was bruising very easily, so I went to the doctor and he referred me to a consultant haematologist in Wimbledon, who in turn referred me to a specialist in Kings University Hospital. I think by the time I went, I had about 25 bruises on my body.”
“They conducted a bone marrow biopsy and when the results came back, they said I had MDS, which in layman’s terms means bad functioning of the bone marrow. It stops you from producing proper blood cells and is a precursor to acute leukaemia.”
“Five people in my extended family have all died from leukaemia, which is staggering, so because of this I was put under constant monitoring and I get blood checks every three months now.”
“My problem is low iron levels and I get very tired, but I’m still working in a doctor’s surgery so it doesn’t affect my day-to-day life that much right now.”
“Long-term, it’s a case of ‘wait and see’ – the condition can’t be reversed and really the specialists are just keeping an eye on it. Obviously, if it gets worse it’s terminal.”
“My body weight has dropped by four stone and that is one side effect that I’ve experience, but I have great confidence in Kings Hospital and the specialists they have there. It’s the only place in Europe with an oncologist that offers this type of treatment and there are Irish people travelling over and back from home that I meet, who have MDS too.”
“Now, I’m involved in raising awareness and I’m working hard on campaigns to raise the profile of the illness. There is an event called Concert in the Square, which will be taking place on Saturday, March 6 in St. Peter’s Church in Hammersmith, so we’re looking for as much support as we can get.”
Tickets for the Concert in the Square are £15 each and further information is available from Alun Watkins on 07789 511793 or Jo Cooper on 07952 172641. The concert is a charity event raising money and awareness in aid of blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research and children’s charity Action Medical Research. Following the concert’s success in 2008, which helped raise over £3,000 for Leukemia & Lymphoma Research, The Cwmbach male voice choir accompanied by tenor Marcel Xerri and mezzo soprano Sophie Gopshill are making a second appearance at St. Peter’s Church, Black Lion Lane, Hammersmith on March 6, at 7.30pm. After his fantastic win on Popstar to Operastar, Darius Campbell (Danesh) will be making an appearance at the concert.
Tickets
£15 each and further information available from Alun Watkins on 07789 511793 or Jo cooper 07952 172641
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