Ileene’s trial brings ray of hope

A new medical trial which could revolutionise howParkinson’s disease is treated could bring hope to millions of sufferers of the neurodegenerative disorder.

And a former Sunderland police detective has today told of the massive impact of the pioneering treatment.

Ileene Byrne has suffered from the disease since her diagnosis in 2002.

The 55-year-old mum volunteered for a multi-millionpound study, featuring41 patients,to look at whether boosting the levels of GDNF protein can regenerate dying brain cells in people with Parkinson’s, and even reverse the condition.

Ileene had to have a port put into the side of her head to administer the drug – and had to go through the procedure a second time after the first became unusable due to a complication.

After going through the placebo round, Ileene was given an infusion of the GDNF – naturally-occurring protein – which is delivered directly to the brain using four tubes placed into the head, and her symptoms were brought to a standstill by the treatment.

She said: “When I was given it, I thought ‘my God’. At the time I couldn’t walk and I had to crawl across the floor to get to my medicine, and trying to get dressed took hours.

“I couldn’t get my shoes on because of the spasms. But withthis,Igotoutofmywheelchair and into my shoes. I saw a glimmer of what my life was like prior to Parkinson’s.”

Unfortunately because of infection, Ileene was not given further doses of the drug.

Now she and thousands of others live in hope that the trial, funded by Parkinson’s UK with support from The Cure Parkinson’s Trust and run in association with the North Bristol NHS Trust, will ultimately be successful.

Let’s pray this pioneering trial could be a breakthrough in the treatment of this devastating disorder.