Enniskillen woman’s MS TikTok story hits 100k views
Rayanne Dooley from Enniskillen has captured widespread attention online, with her TikTok posted on March 26 now amassing over 100,000 views. In the short video, she shares her experience living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition she says she was “diagnosed really young.”
“I didn’t want to just sit and wait for my body to get worse, so I looked into other treatment options. I found out about HSCT,” she explains.
HSCT (Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation) is an intensive medical procedure aimed at “resetting” the immune system in people with MS. The treatment targets the disease by stopping the immune system from attacking the brain and spinal cord.
The procedure is not routinely available in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, though a small number of specialist centres in England offer it through the UK NHS. Because it is considered highly specialised, referrals are limited.
To access treatment, Ms. Dooley fundraised £56,000 and travelled to Mexico. She reports: “It has now been two years, and it has stopped my MS.”
Northern Ireland is recognised as having some of the highest rates of MS in the world, according to research from Queen’s University Belfast and FactcheckNI, making access to advanced treatments particularly urgent for local residents.
Rayanne during her treatment in Mexico and, with her friend on his wedding day (Image: Impartial Reporter)
