A BOY from Co Kerry is set to become the world’s youngest child to undergo pioneering brain surgery.
Two-year-old Liam Heffernan, who has Batten disease, will leave Dublin airport today to participate in a medical treatment trial in the United States.
The surgery, which involves six holes being drilled in Liam’s skull, is scheduled to take place next Tuesday – exactly 15 weeks after his only sibling died from the same rare and fatal disorder of the nervous system.
His five-year-old sister, Saoirse, died in the arms of her parents Tony and Mary Heffernan on January 18th.
Mr Heffernan said the treatment in New York is the couple’s only chance of saving their only child.
“There’s no guarantees with this and we know that,” he added.
“But this is the second time they’ve got kids on this trial and it’s proved positive so far, so we just hope Liam has the same result. It means everything to us.”
Fewer than 1,000 children worldwide have late infantile Batten disease, with just a handful of cases in Ireland.
It is an inherited disorder of the nervous system which causes mental impairment, seizures and progressive loss of sight and motor skills. Youngsters become totally disabled before they die.
The family, from Castledrum in Keel, Co Kerry, will travel to the prestigious Weill Cornell University Hospital for the surgery, which involves gene transfer treatment to 12 locations in Liam’s brain.
Since the medical trial began in August 2010, only four children, all of whom are American, have received the gene transfer. – (PA)