StemCell Therapy

A mother-of-two from Yeovil faces the heartbreaking prospect of losing her sight within a year if she is unable to raise enough money to undergo pioneering treatment.

Jemma Jackson says the thought of no longer being able to see Oscar, 14, and Alfie, 6, has left her with a "pain like I've never known and a fear I could never have imagined".

The 32-year-old single mum has lived with type one diabetes since the age of three, but in recent years, she has developed proliferative retinopathy, a disease that can cause rapid and progressive blindness if left untreated.

The only treatment available on the NHS has been unsuccessful, leaving her needing to raise at least 5,000 to enable her to receive injections privately.

It involves injecting a chemical into the eyeball, stopping the growth of blood vessels inside the retina, with the hope of preventing sight from deteriorating any further.

Jemma said: "Any parent can relate and understand how painful the prospect of not being able to see your childrens faces ever again would be.

"Its a pain like Ive never known and a fear I could never have imagined.

"I struggle but I am able to carry on a normal-ish life with the vision I do have left.

"If I were to lose anymore, or all of my vision, I honestly dont know what I would do. The thought makes me feel sick to my stomach.

"I know I am lucky in many other ways, I should and would be blind already if it was not for the treatments Ive already had, but I am so scared at what my future might hold.

"I just really want to keep my vision for as long as possible, so I can see my kids grow up, and then my eyes can finally give up.

"Until then, I desperately want to keep fighting."

Anyone who wishes to donate to the cost of Jemma's treatment can do so via GoFundMe .

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Link:
Mum fears never seeing kids' faces again due to condition causing blindness - Somerset Live

This entry was posted on January 25, 2020 at 1:46 am and is filed under Blindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |