Sports stars give backing to Mickey

The lifesaving brain surgery in Spain costs £22,000

Mikey’s favourite sport is basketball and, before he fell ill, played for Paisley Basketball Club under East Renfrewshire Lakers and St Mirren.

The St Louise Primary pupil has also started for South Lanarkshire Colliers and is a firm fixture at Glasgow Rocks summer camps.

And the Celtic-mad youngster enjoys being part of the squad at EKRR Youth Team.

But this debilitating condition has left him unable to participate in the sports he loves.

Donna said:“Playing sports or running around with his friends leaves him feeling sick which means he doesn’t eat much and has lost some weight in the past few months.

“He suffers from nausea on a daily basis but this is made worse by exertion. Mikey is pretty resilient and just gets on with it but does cry at times because he absolutely loves basketball and football just wants to see his friends.

“All I want is to get him back to living a normal life.”

Since hearing of Mikey’s plight, Paisley Basketball Club, EKRR, Glasgow Rocks and GB Basketball ambassador Kieron Achara have offered their support to the family.

The Rocks are planning to hold a fundraising night for Mikey and have given the family Glasgow Rocks tickets to auction off.

Retired Glasgow Rocks forward Achara told the News:“I personally got involved because Mikey is a familiar face at the Rocks matches, you can see his love for the game and how much he enjoys it.

“As a player this was inspiring to me because Mikey is the type of young player that will have success with whatever he chooses to be, whether in basketball or something else. Our basketball family is small and we always try to help out each other when we can.

“I am fortunate to have a small following through being a basketball player and I believe there is no better way to use my platform to raise awareness to help others.”

Just4Children, who assist in the provision of services and grants for medical treatment, have also been providing support to the family in their time of need.

A spokeswoman said:“Just4Children are thrilled we are helping Michael receive the treatment he so desperately needs to lead a more fulfilling life.” ANDREA LAMBROU

A desperate mum is hoping for a miracle to send her nine-yearold son to Spain for lifesaving brain surgery.

After an accident at school three years ago, Michael McNulty was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation – a lifethreatening neurological disorder where the brain is too big for the skull causing extreme pain.

Mum Donna, who lives with a mild form of the condition, was then told Michael’s condition was so serious it could prove fatal. Now she needs to raise £22,000 for specialist treatment abroad to give him a fighting chance at life.

The sport-mad Murray boy, who plays for Paisley Basketball Club and EK Rolls Royce FC, has a severe herniation – to add to their trauma, doctors last year discovered a cist on his brain.

Currently there is no cure for Chiari and the condition is one lacking in research or specialists in the UK.

But the Chiari Institute in Barcelona is pioneering a preventative surgery which has already proved highly successful in alleviating pain and symptoms in other children.

Last week Michael’s mum Donna set up fundraising page ‘Miracle for Mikey’ and, with the help of Just4Children charity, Paisley Basketball Club, Glasgow Rocks and GB Basketball ambassador Kieron Achara, there is already over £2000 in the pot.

But with a long way still to go, she needs the support of her hometown to reach her target. And the News is backing her plight.

Donna, 36, told the News: “As a baby Michael exhibited all the symptoms of the conditon, but research has shown it takes years to be officially diagnosed.

“At six Michael fractured his skull and broke his nose during PE – doctors found Chiara when they carried out a CT scan. Treatment in the UK is minimal with a ‘watch and wait’ approach. But this can lead to permanent nerve damage and a progression of symptoms. People can also become paralysed or die from complications.”

For the past year, Michael has suffered from migranes, sickness, exhaustion and sleep apnea where he stops breathing in his sleep three to four times an hour. And these have continued to get worse.

Student primary school teacher Donna added: “It’s been a frightening and stressful time.”

The only treatment available in the UK is a highly invasive craniectomy procedure called decompression, where part of the skull is removed to make room for the herniated tonsils.

But, with many risks, complications and months of recovery attached, Donna believes the minimally invasive and specialist surgery in Barcelona is the best and safest option for Michael. And it is one that has borne success. Donna was inspired by the story of ten-year-old Coventry dancer Selah Neely whose Chiara diagnosis left her with so much pain in her feet she had to rely on a wheelchair.

But with the specialist surgery, she was up on her feet within 24-hours and walking within five days.

The NHS told her family there was nothing else they could do for her.

Donna added: “We wish to take Michael here to halt the progression of this condition and enable him to get back to participating in the sports he loves – basketball and football – without becoming sick and ill afterwards. Please help us to fundraise as much as possible.” Chiari Malformation is when the cerebellar tonsils herniate outside the skull, leading to crowding of the brain stem and in the majority of cases blockages of CSF fluid.

This leads to a multitude of symptoms from headaches, migraines, widespread body pain, dizziness, trouble swallowing, numbness, loss of feeling in arms or legs, loss of bladder or bowel control, sleep apnea or in extreme cases, paralysis or death.

The Chiari Institute in Barcelona say the treatment can help halt symptoms for Michael so that he would not need to have Decompression surgery in the UK which comes with many risks, complications and months of recovery.

• The family have organised a sponsored Hallowe’en walk at Strathclyde Country Park on October 26 to raise funds and are inviting locals to get involved.

To donate, head to justgiving.com and search for‘surgery for Michael Chiari Malformation’.