@manchesternews: This is Becca, a mum-of-three who says she is running out of time to get treatment for a rare condition that tragically took the lives of both of her brothers. Becca was just a teenager when her 19-year-old sibling, Dan, died as a result of Friedreich Ataxia in 2009. Five years later, she then lost her eldest brother, Chris, who also fell victim to the disease when he was only 29. After Chris' death, Becca received the devastating news that she too was a carrier after undergoing a test. For close to a decade however, Becca, 32, has kept her diagnosis relatively private, but symptoms for the deadly disorder are beginning to show. Symptoms include difficulty walking, poor balance, loss of feeling in arms, legs or other parts of the body, trouble speaking, slurred speech, loss of hearing, vision, fatigue and much more. Alongside work and three children, life has become more of a struggle for the mum from Bury. A drug for the condition, known as omaveloxolone, is already used in the US and parts of Europe. In 2025 it was given regulatory approval, but remains unavailable on the NHS. In private care it comes at a cost of around £250,000 a year. Becca is fundraising to access the treatment privately and wants to raise awareness with her story to push a petition calling for the drug to be made available on the NHS. #manchestereveningnews #news #localnews #healthnews

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Wednesday 02 September 2026 11:00:00 GMT