The family of a much-loved Fife toddler bravely battling a terminal illness have made a desperate plea for medics for help.
Jamie Tierney, three, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease which also affects the lungs, heart and brain and is mainly found in boys.
His parents, Bobbie and Jamie senior, have taken him abroad for three treatments and are due to have a fourth next month. But the treatment, which is available in South America, costs £60,000 per year, reports the Daily Record.
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A Go Fund Me page set up to raise money has seen generous souls donate more than £40,000 to help the youngster. And the family and other loved ones have done Kilt Walks and other fundraising to help pay for Jamie's care.
His dad said the family is now hoping to get in touch with someone who can provide treatment in Scotland. He said: "We're currently on the hunt for any specialists in Scotland or the UK that can help us with things such as muscle preservation and ultrasound.
"This would benefit his muscle tissue. We have now been for three treatments and we are looking to go for a fourth in June. We are really noticing that Jamie's mobility has been improving rather than declining from his treatments."
Jamie sr said the strain of working and looking after Jamie while trying to raise as much money as possible is taking its toll on the couple. He explained: "It's been unbelievably draining with both us working and trying to search for better solutions for Jamie.
"We are learning about new potential treatments that are in the pipeline but on top of that we are trying to raise £60,000 per year so we can keep getting him the treatments.
"We can’t afford to miss a treatment for Jamie. It is a treatment which needs to be continuous so it's not like we can say we can’t afford four treatments this year we will just do three. If we do that Jamie will start to decline.
"We are really struggling for any support here in the UK. We get a small amount of help from the NHS, but with a disease that has no cure we are wanting more. Our closest specialist clinic is Newcastle and they won't take us on because they are at full capacity.
"All the valuable information we can gain is from other families as there really is no support here in Scotland. Hardly anyone knows what Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy even is.
"We need more awareness around Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy as it is absolutely catastrophic and there are children out there passing away in their teens. As a family we're trying to do everything to beat this so any help or advice is more than appreciated."
Anyone who wishes to support the family can do so at either the Wee Jamie's Journey website, Wee Jamie's Journey social media pages or the GoFundMe page.
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