SDLP councillor Brian Tierney is calling on people to support Lymphoedema Awareness Week which runs from March 6-11.

Councillor Tierney’s two youngest children, Mary-Kate and Ben, suffer from the condition that causes painful swelling in the arms and legs.

Councillor Tierney, wife Cheryl and family attended the unveiling of a billboard at Free Derry Corner on Sunday to mark the beginning of Lymphoedema Awareness Week.

Councillor Tierney said:

“I was delighted to attend the unveiling of a billboard at Free Derry Corner with my family on Sunday to mark Lymphoedema Awareness Week. While Lymphoedema may be a condition that many people know little about, since it has impacted our family we have been doing everything we can to raise awareness and the support from the people of Derry has been fantastic.

“Lymphoedema can be an extremely difficult condition, those who suffer from it experience painful swelling that can affect their mobility. Mary-Kate and Ben have their good days and their bad, but we are lucky to have a happy and healthy family, when challenges present themselves we dust ourselves down and do our best to get through it.

“There will be a number of events taking place this week to raise awareness of the condition, every year we encourage people to wear odd socks, if you see half of Derry in odd socks this week you’ll know why! Over the years Mary-Kate and Ben have become real ambassadors for Lymphoedema, they have even started their own Youtube channel 'Lymphoedema Life' to document their journey.

“This week we’d just ask people to take a little time to learn about this condition to create a bit more awareness about what Lymphoedema is and what people go through. While it can be difficult at times, I’m very proud of my children and wife Cheryl and how they’ve handled this, managed it and turned what many would see as a setback into a positive part of their lives.”