Girl, 4, flies to New York for tests that could save her life

A FOUR-YEAR-OLD Kerry girl suffering from a rare disease yesterday flew to New York for specialist medical tests that could save her life.

Saoirse Heffernan, accompanied by her parents, Tony and Mary, was called by consultants at the Weill Cornell University Hospital for tests to prepare the way for clinical trials.

She and her 22-month-old brother, Liam, are the only two sufferers of Battens Disease in the Republic of Ireland. The condition attacks the central nervous system and causes violent seizures.