Latest news with #JournalistCollect
The Irish Sun
12-06-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
I ignored eye issue while driving before being diagnosed with incurable disease – watch out for key signs
A WOMAN has told how she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after noticing a strange symptom while driving. Affecting over 9,000 people in Ireland, the incurable disease is the most common disabling neurological disease among young Irish adults. 4 Marie Pickup is a 38-year-old mum who was diagnosed with MS last December Credit: Journalist Collect 4 The brave mum-of-two had symptoms for over a year before her diagnosis Credit: Journalist Collect 4 And she is now sharing her story with others on social media Credit: Journalist Collect Marie Pickup from The 38-year-old's journey began in October 2023, when she first noticed pain in her eye while The mum then visited the eye casualty unit where she was diagnosed with optic perineuritis, a rare inflammation around the optic nerve. Marie said: 'It all started in October 2023 - and it was just one of those things where when you're driving and you're looking behind you to go into another lane, I would notice that my eye was sore. READ MORE IN HEALTH 'I was just kind of ignoring it to be honest - I didn't have any reason to think it was anything major. 'It was actually my mum, who's a nurse, that said to go into eye casualty and just let them have a look at it, because it wasn't going away. 'They thought it was optic perineuritis, where you have a protective funnel that your optic nerve goes through becomes inflamed.' This led to Marie getting her first MRI scan, which revealed initial lesions on her brain. Most read in Health Treated with steroids to reduce the inflammation, the Multiple Sclerosis explained Over the following year, Marie underwent a series of tests, including lumbar punctures and blood samples sent to specialists in By October 2024, and over a year after her initial symptoms, her consultants were 97 percent certain she had MS. And this diagnosis was formally confirmed in December 2024. She said: 'At that point, you're like, am I hoping for MS, or am I hoping for whatever else they're testing for? 'By the time October last year came around, they were 97 percent sure - and then when my symptoms progressed between then and December it was a definite diagnosis as a lesion was now on my spine. 'At this point, my whole central nervous system was being affected.' When Marie first heard the words 'multiple sclerosis,' she admits it was overwhelming. Although she revealed she wasn't shocked with the diagnosis, there were moments of fear and uncertainty about what this meant for her future. At the same time, she felt slightly relieved because finally there was an explanation for the symptoms and the uncertainty around her Despite her fear, Marie decided to face her diagnosis with a positive mindset, refusing to let MS define her life or limit what her future entails. And she describes this attitude as essential in coping with the uncertainty and variability that MS brings. She added: 'I suppose, when he said it to me, it wasn't a surprise to be told I had it - at this point I had major symptoms and a 97 percent chance of having it. "Even though it's not a shock, it's just something it's very hard to get your head around, because MS is one of those things that obviously there's no cure for. 'The hardest thing to get my head around, was like, this is forever - and you know, there's no getting better. 'But now you hear people who are 70 and are doing great - you wouldn't even know they have it. It's a completely different diagnosis from 20 or 30 years ago because treatment has progressed so much." MS is known as a ' And Marie experiences this firsthand. Major warning signs of MS In May 2024, she began experiencing double vision while in December she had a major relapse where her left leg and arm went completely numb. Severely impacting her mobility, she needed a walking stick and began physiotherapy to regain some function. Fatigue remains one of Marie's most debilitating symptoms, as it does for up to 80 percent of MS patients. She also struggles with vision problems and cognitive symptoms like difficulty concentrating. Living with these symptoms has brought its challenges - causing her children to worry about her health, forcing her to leave her Still, Marie finds strength in her support system. Her husband Graeme, two sons and family have been a constant source of encouragement. And the mum-of-two has also connected with MS Ireland along with a childhood friend who lives with the illness. She said: 'My family are just absolutely wonderful - we've kind of been through a few things recently that aren't great, but we've just always been close. 'There's my husband Graeme, our two boys, my sisters, mum and dad - and we've always been a close family, but especially in these last few years. 'I can call them whenever I want, if there's anything going on I can call my parents or my sister and they would come - I know they would do it. 'I've also reached out to MS Ireland and through TikTok I've connected with an old childhood friend who also has MS - the support has been absolutely amazing.' Although she can't stress enough that she's no MS expert, Marie has recently made major lifestyle changes to try and gain back some control. WHAT IS MS? Multiple Sclerosis is a complex and often unpredictable In simple terms, it happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath - the protective coating around nerve fibers. This causes inflammation and damage that disrupt the messages the brain sends to the body, leading to a wide range of symptoms that can be overlooked. Statistics show it strikes Recent lifestyle changes Since May, she has adopted a vegan And she now talks openly about listening to her body, allowing herself to rest on difficult days and pacing herself to avoid burning out. One of Marie's biggest hurdles since her diagnosis has been discussing her MS publicly - and at first she feared stigma or being misunderstood. But she eventually turned to And this brave mum-of-two said she now hopes to use her platform to challenge common misconceptions about the illness. She added: "For the most part MS is a disability you can't see and if you know someone with it one day they could be absolutely fine and the next they're not. "A lot of people with MS suffer in silence and it is a very difficult thing to have. "Just because somebody looks okay doesn't necessarily mean that they are, and I suppose we all need to have a bit more empathy around that.' 4 The mum-of-two is refusing to let MS define her life or limit what her future entails Credit: Journalist Collect
The Irish Sun
08-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Kinahan cartel stooge enjoys seaside trip & 4 nights at home on release from Mountjoy as hood's next location revealed
KINAHAN cartel stooge Michael Crotty enjoyed trips to the seaside just a year after he was caged for his role in the killing of grandad Noel Kirwan. And we can reveal the former gym owner, 42, has also received permission to visit Co 3 Michael Crotty enjoyed trips to the north west just a year after receiving his sentence Credit: Collins Photo Agency 3 Innocent grandad Noel Kirwan Credit: Journalist Collect His visit to Leitrim was granted after he enjoyed day release trips to Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal, from Dublin's During his trips to He spent his days relaxing at the beach and enjoying ice creams. Crotty enjoyed the trips to the north west just a year after he received his Crotty's treatment by the Irish A relative told us: 'How can an individual who supplied a phone used in the death of a completely innocent man be allowed to enjoy such freedoms. 'This isn't a punishment or justice — it's a disgrace. 'He has never shown any remorse for his involvement — and yet here he is enjoying nice trips to the seaside." As part of our revelations on the cartel facilitator, we can also reveal that he spent four nights away from prison in his home town of Cashel, Co Will the Kinahan Cartel now step in after bloodbath double shooting in Spanish bar His nights away from Mountjoy were between May 1 and 5, before he was out again from May 10 to 14. Mr Kirwan's relative added: 'Crotty isn't just getting trips to the seaside — he's getting to stay out of prison for four nights at a time. 'It's like they're allowing him to go on holiday when he's meant to be serving a prison sentence. 'He received a two-year sentence so he should be staying those two years in prison.' WHO IS BEHIND KINAHAN CARTEL? Christy Kinahan Sr began preying on Dublin's vulnerable drug users at the height of the city's heroin epidemic in the 1980s. His early efforts came to a sudden halt when he was arrested in September 1986, and was slapped with a relatively-lean six-year jail sentence in 1987. But prison wouldn't stop him from working to expand his now-€1billion empire. He was one of the first Irish prisoners to get his own computer — and used it to brush up on the skills that would make him one of the world's deadliest narco-terrorists. Now, his son Daniel has stepped into his shoes as the top dog of the cartel, while also attempting to forge a legitimate career in boxing. Today, his sons and their cronies continue to evade the US' DEA, An Garda Siochana, Interpol and a number of other police services globally. The ruthless Kinahan family has dominated gangland crime in Ireland and across Europe for years. But the shocking attack at Dublin's Regency Hotel in 2016 and a murderous feud that resulted in 18 killings thrust them into the global spotlight. And the sheer scale of their criminal empire was laid bare in April 2022 when the US government announced a $5million bounty for information leading to the arrests of the heads of the Kinahan cartel — Christy and his sons Daniel and Christy Jr. Gardai believe Crotty — who was under the Garda radar — was targeted by the The cartel figures he aided were travelling to Co Tipperary in the middle of the Kinahan and Hutch feud. Cops suspect Crotty was offered One source added: 'Crotty was nothing more than a gopher used by the cartel. "He was one of many who were simply expendable to Others convicted for the roles they played included Declan 'Mr Nobody' Brady, Jason Keating and Martin Aylmer. 3 He enjoyed day release trips to Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal Credit: Alamy
The Irish Sun
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
I'm an Irish driving instructor and here is what happens if your car cuts out during the test
AN Irish driving instructor has revealed what happens if your car cuts out during the test. This unfortunate event happens more often than you may think. Advertisement 3 @Vistadrivingschool is a popular Irish driving instructor on TikTok Credit: Journalist Collect 3 And he shared what happens if your car cuts out during the test Credit: Journalist Collect @Vistadrivingschool is a popular Irish driving instructor on And he shared with his followers what happens if their car cuts out during their test. The He said: "If you're doing your driving test in manual and you cut out the car it is an automatic fail. Advertisement READ MORE IN MOTORS "That's something I hear a lot from learner drivers - and it is not true at all." And he revealed that if it happens you will be given a grade two mark on clutch. Stalling typically indicates a lapse in clutch control and the examiner will mark it as such. If it happens just once in a low-risk setting, and is recovered quickly and Advertisement MOST READ IN MOTORS However, as marked as a grade two rather than a grade one it is better to avoid the situation altogether where possible. He said: "If you cut out your car during the Irish driving test you will get a grade two mark on clutch. "It's not dangerous driving and it is not a serious fault so they can't give you a grade three for simply cutting out the car. "People get nervous, legs shake and they can slip off the clutch - testers are aware of that, hence why they won't give you a fail mark for it." Advertisement However, the driving instructor revealed that if it happens four or more times during the driving test, it can lead to a fail. This is because getting four grade twos in the He added: "So if in the driving test your car cuts out just make sure to calmly compose yourself, don't panic. "Say sorry about that, turn the car back on and off you go." Advertisement Driving test tip This comes after another TikToker has shared the @Next_level_driving_school on TikTok shares useful tips and tricks on their page. Faded L plates could give your driving instructor a reason to cancel your test, and you may lose out on the money. He said: "Probably better off not turning up to your test with the L plate being faded like this because you're test might not go ahead and it will be a waste of €85. Advertisement "So make sure your L plates are in good condition. They're not faded so that the tester doesn't have the chance to not go out on the test with you." 3 Drivers will not automatically fail their test if it happens Credit: Journalist Collect
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
I wasn't allowed sit Irish driving test for breaking ‘ridiculous' little-known rule – I couldn't believe it
AN Irish lad who was turned away at the driving test centre due to a little-known rule has issued an urgent warning to other learner drivers. Graham Quinn from 4 A learner driver shared how he was turned away on day of his test Credit: Journalist Collect 4 He didn't have a green stripe on his insurance disc 4 And he has now issued an urgent warning to other learner drivers Credit: Getty After spending months on the waiting list and hundreds of hours practising on When the day came around, the aspiring driver took the day off work and booked a pre-test for €50 that morning. Graham spent all that day driving around before going to the test centre, where he went through the theory test questions and the hand signals with his examiner. He said: "Everything was fine that morning – I booked a day off work for the test and had a pre-test that cost me €50. READ MORE IN MOTORS "When I got to the test centre it was like normal – the tester was a very nice lad and when we went through all of the theory questions and the hand signals, which went perfectly. "And then he took a look at my insurance disc and said the test couldn't continue because there was no green line on it." The insurance disc is a document that you must have with you during your driving test to prove your car is Drivers can show proof of insurance without the green stripe, but it is a requirement of the RSA to have it in colour when taking your driving test. MOST READ IN MOTORS And although Graham showed his valid insurance disc, he got turned away because it didn't have the green stripe. He said: "I couldn't believe it - I had my insurance disc there but the line was cut off. "The tester was nice but it just didn't make sense. "I had done everything correctly besides have this green line. Gardai and RSA measures aimed at driving crash deaths on Irish roads "Not once was it mentioned in the pre-test I took that morning, I didn't know what to say – it was like a Mexican standoff between us. "He said it's mentioned on page six of the RSA's list of requirements when taking the test – but if it's that important it should be mentioned on the first page – or even under insurance." Graham was turned away and told to re-book his test and try again with the one that has a green stripe. After another €85, he decided to reach out to the RSA to see if it could help him. The RSA told him that although he had his insurance, the green stripe is a requirement for taking the test and he must apply all over again. 'A problem with the system' Graham said it is now the main thing he would warn learners about before taking the test because it is so little-known. And he believes that insurance discs going He said: "Before anything else, I'd tell people to make sure they have that green line before taking the test, because they will turn you away if not. "It is ridiculous though – it's not a problem with the testers but a problem with the system. "If they changed to a digital format where you didn't have to print it out there wouldn't be a problem, it would make these things far easier." 4 He was set to take the test at Finglas Test Centre Credit: Social Media Collect
