A 38-YEAR-old father of two who is battling MS is hoping to raise €65,000 for stem cell treatment abroad.

James Bishop is originally from Butlerstown but now living in Kill St Lawrence in the city.

In 2o20, James and his wife Leanne heard the news of James' devastating diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis and now he is trying to slow down the progression of the debilitating disease.

Dad to Logan (7) and Keeva (4), he has decided to opt for a treatment called AHSCT which is a type of bone marrow transplantation that attempts to reset the immune system.

The procedure will take one month to complete and involves harvesting his stem cells, receiving chemotherapy to ablate his immune system, followed by the reintroduction of his stem cells with the hope of re-setting his immune system with no trace of MS.  

Following this James will need to isolate for three months, with healing taking 12 months post treatment. 

Due to the advanced nature of the disease James was refused funding to get the treatment in the UK, and now has to go to Moscow.

James is currently walking with the aid of a stick and told Damien Tiernan on Deise Today this morning (Monday) that some days are very difficult, especially as his children are young and so full of energy and life.

He has nearly 20,000 of his 65,000 target raised so far. Anyone who wishes to donate can do so via this link... www.idonate.ie/crowdfunding/HSCT4JamesB 

For more Déise Today podcasts see WLRFM.com/podcasts.