Giving my son the best life possible had to come first
Former police inspector’s job switch
Callander’s former police inspector has spoken of why leaving the job he loved was done for the love of his son.
Gerry McMenemy spent several happy years as the senior officer based in the town’s police office until he was given the devastating news a year ago that his son Somhairle had been diagnosed with the cruel, life-limiting condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The choice to be transferred from the job he loved to one still within the force but closer to his Stirling home, however, wasn’t difficult in terms of wanting to be around for Somhairle (pronounced Sorley), now aged four.
Gerry said: “I loved working in the Callander area, but I needed and wanted to be closer to home.”
Somhairle was always a bit clumsy when walking, but it became particularly noticeable when he started a rugby tots class at the age of three. His nursery had also noticed his balance problems and following a referral by a physiotherapist, the youngster was referred to a paediatrician and had blood tests taken at Forth Valley Hospital.
The phone call from the consultant paediatrician the following morning started with the phrase: “It’s not good news”.
Two weeks later Somhairle’s neuromuscular consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow
confirmed he had Duchenne’s, a rare form of muscular dystrophy thought to currently affect only 250 boys or young men in Scotland and 2500 in the UK overall. The genetic disorder is characterised by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness caused by an absence of dystrophin, a protein that helps keep
muscle cells intact. It causes muscles - including vital organs - to weaken and waste over time, leading to increasing and severe disability.
Symptom onset is in early childhood, usually between ages of three and five. The disease primarily affects boys and life expectancy is generally around late teens to early 20s, although there have been some cases of people living into their 30s and 40s.
Dad Gerry, a senior police officer in the Stirling area for 22 years, and mum Sarah, a community nurse for the Bannockburn area, not only had to adapt their working lives, they also had to try to come to terms with their expectations for Somhairle and his future.
“We are grieving for the future we have lost,” said Sarah. “There are sad days, but we try to treat him as much as possible like any other boy.
“We are, however, building a lifetime of experiences and memories.
“We also want him to experience certain things while he can still make the most of them and won’t be left wishing he had done them sooner. We try to make sure things are focused on what he can do and not what he can’t.”
His parents say while on being given the diagnosis their world seemed “empty, unfair even cruel” what keeps them going is the smile and giggle that never leaves Somhairle’s face.
Gerry added: “We were told that Somhairle himself will teach us such a lot, and he does that every day. Like other boys with Duchenne’s, he is a natural problem solver because he has had to be. He finds his own way of doing things.
“Like him, we have to try to look for solutions to help him have as full a life as possible.”
One of the first sources of information and comfort Gerry and Sarah found was the Muscular Dystrophy UK website.
Earlier this year they set up the Muscle in with Somhairle fundraising campaign to help raise awareness and vital funds to support the work of Muscular Dystrophy UK into the Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund.
The family initially set a target of £5000 when the campaign was launched in February, however, this was surpassed within six months thanks to the support of family, friends and colleagues.
Among the fundraising events have been Bake A Difference events, a half marathon, workplace fundraising events, and even a 24-hour ‘fishathon’.
The latest effort - the Three Peaks Challenge - sees three friends taking on Ben Nevis on August 10 before heading for Scafell in England’s Lake District then finally Snowdon in Wales, all within 24 hours.
With the help of the railway which runs to the top of Snowdon, other supporters - and most importantly Somhairle himself - aim to gather at the top to greet them.
Sarah said: “Obviously we want a cure to be found for Somerhaile, but this is also about helping others in the future and about raising awareness and educating people about Duchenne’s.
“Any businesses or individuals who would like to contribute or have ideas for fundraising are welcome to get in touch.
“We would love to be able to do something like a charity dinner or Christmas raffle.”
‘Muscle in with Somerhaile’ can be followed on Facebook and supported through JustGiving, or online, or donate £4 by texting MIWS66 to 70070. Anyone with a fundraising idea can also email Sarah at: sarah. gemmell@btinternet.com. See www. musculardystrophyuk. org/get-involved/familyfunds/funds/muscle-inwith-somhairle.
We are grieving for the future we have lost. There are sad days, but we try to treat him like any other boy