Pembroke Mom Says Government Shutdown Could Cost Her Son's Life
PEMBROKE (CBS) – A mom from Pembroke says she's worried the government shutdown could ultimately end up costing her son his life.
Seventeen-year old Jett McSherry has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The particular disease affects about 1 in 3,600 boys, and those diagnosed with the particular disease don't typically live past their teens.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports
Pembroke Mom Says Government Shutdown Could Cost Her Son's Life
"At this point, he's basically a quadriplegic. He can move his head. He can move his hands maybe an inch off his lap, but he can barely feed himself," Christine McSherry said of her son.
The little hope that McSherry has, a new drug treatment created at a Cambridge lab has shown remarkable promise in halting and repairing the damage of Duchenne's.
The only problem is that it needs government approval.
McSherry says the government shutdown is costing precious time that these kids don't have.
"Jett is really sick and there are other boys who are really sick. And they need that drug," she told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey.
McSherry says she understands that most people see this in terms of government employees, or inconvenience or politics, but that for hers and other families, every wasted minute could be a matter of life and death.
"It's life or death. One week may seem like nothing to some people, but to Jett, it could be a lifetime," McSherry said. "You just want to take these kids and put them in the middle of the floor and say 'okay, this is what you're arguing over. This is who you're affecting right now.'"
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