Co Tyrone three-year-old flying to USA for specialised spine treatment
A young Co Tyrone girl is having to fly to Philadelphia for treatment for a rare and potentially fatal spinal condition.
Maisie McQuaid is just three years old but suffers from Progressive Infantile Scoliosis.
It means her spine has a severe curve, causing it to put pressure on her stomach and kidneys.
If it were treated here, it would involve applying a plaster jacket for her upper body, a method that would halt the curve of her spine but not correct it, until surgery could be performed.
However, a large part of that involves observation and her mum Geraldine said the long waiting lists for NI hospitals meant Maisie was forced to wait beyond the six week waiting time.
"It was over four months later," she said.
"We noticed Maisie's curve was getting worse and worse with every week that went past.
"Maisie was complaining of pains in her abdomen where it was putting pressure on her spleen and kidneys at the time."
A plaster jacket was designed for Maisie by doctors here, but weighing four pounds on a baby that wighs only two stone, she was falling a lot.
After seeing the success enjoyed by Co Tyrone baby Charlie Ferris in his own battles with the condition, and speaking to his mum Donna, the McQuaid family took the decision to go to Philadelphia.
The Shiners Hospital in Philadelphia offer a specific type of cast, individually tailored to each child, that both halts and corrects the curvature of the spine.
"In this cast that Maisie is currently wearing, it's only a fraction of the weight of the plaster jacket," said Geraldine.
"She has had no falls since and it actually corrects her spine as she grows."
The problem is the cast has to be taken off and a new one put on every eight weeks, an expensive proposition for the family.
However, it has had radical success so far.
"The morning the cast was placed, her curve was actually at 55 degrees," said Geraldine.
"Before she then came round form her anaesthetic, they took another x-ray and it was down to 27 degrees, which was amazing."
As part of a fundraising drive organised by friends of the family Damien Crowne and Noleen Devlin, three 10k races have been organised for the next few months.
If people take part in all three races, they'll get a bronze, silver and gold medal.
They are taking place in Omagh on Sunday 28 October, Sunday 25 November and Sunday 25 January.