Waiting for a miracle

By Gareth McKeown
THE father of  Eryn Kirkpatrick, the little blind baby from Brookeborough who recently had a revolutionary new form of surgery in China, is still hopeful that his daughter will see for the very first time.
Eryn, her mum Evanna Shiels and father Maurice Kirkpatrick headed off to China a month ago for stem cell treatment. Twice a day for two weeks the treatment was administered, but even after four weeks  Maurice is still unclear whether the process has been successful.
“Treatment went very well, but whether or not it was successful I don’t honestly know. We received the best treatment and care possible and thought it went well, but we will not know for a couple of months.”
“It can take up to six months for the stem cells to go to where they are needed and it can take them quite a while to grow. It would be different if she was two or three and could tell us if it was working, but she is only eight months and we will just have to wait and see.”