Inverness grandmother determined to get 8 year campaign "over the finish line"
Mary Ramsay wants to see a type of treatment for Essential Tremor made available on the NHS in Scotland.
A Highland campaigner hopes her fight to get a type of treatment made available on the NHS is nearing the "finish line."
Mary Ramsay, from Inverness, has been trying to convince MSPs the benefits of Magnetic resonance-guided focussed ultrasound (MRgFUS) for treating Essential Tremor.
The grandmother of 12 has lived with the movement disorder all her life and feels the scanner treatment is more effective than the deep brain stimulation she was given.
She feels the focussed ultrasound is "less risky and less traumatic" for those living with Essential Tremor.
'Better option' for those with Essential Tremor
It's understood Essential Tremor is the most common movement disorder, ten times more prevalent than Parkinson’s.
Mary is meeting MSPs today as part of an engagement session on the issue.
She said: "I have lived with tremors all my life and did not receive a formal diagnosis until I was 48 My tremors, and the lack of understanding surrounding them, has impacted my entire life.
"Those of us with essential tremor deserve better, and there is a better option.
"Focussed ultrasound is a non-invasive treatment that does what it says on the tin – focussing ultrasound on specific parts of the brain identified with tremors, to relieve their onset and progression.
"Focussed ultrasound is less risky and less traumatic for patients, with full recovery in a matter of hours rather than days.
"Children can potentially be back at school the next day, saved the trauma of a major medical procedure and protracted recovery and, more importantly, reducing their absences and offering something closer to a ‘regular’ childhood, one without the abuse I suffered at their age
"This is the eighth year I've been trying to get it funded on the NHS.
"Had three different health ministers, possibly going to have a fourth.
"I'm really determined to get this over the finish line."
Treatment could provide opportunities in many areas
Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has been a long-term supporter of Mary's campaign.
She said: "It has been a privilege to sponsor this event and raise awareness of the impact of MRgFUS on Essential Tremor.
"It would be a brilliant opportunity for the NHS in Scotland to roll out a treatment that would not only benefit so many but provide opportunities for world renowned research into many areas."