For years, Ben and Erin Smith were told they would never be able to have children.
Now, defying all the odds, Erin is eight-months pregnant and the couple are excitedly awaiting the arrival of their baby daughter next month.
But this “ray of light in their lives” has come at a turbulent time.
Last November, Erin received the crushing news that she was suffering from the Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS) – a progressive neurological disease that damages all aspects of the central nervous system.
Unlike other forms of the condition, it progresses without marked remissions and in some cases it can occur very quickly.
The condition has left her suffering from extreme exhaustion, and makes walking any distance difficult.
It has also affected the fine motor skills in her hands, as well as her vision.
Now the couple, who met in Aberdeen but now live in Bella Coola, in British Colombia, Canada, are pinning their hopes on Erin receiving pioneering stem cell treatment in Mexico.
But the treatment – hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) -costs £32,395 and the couple are desperately trying to raise funds
On hearing of their plight, Vicky Briggs, an old friend of Ben’s from the north-east, decided to organise a St Andrew’s Day ceilidh to raise funds.
She said: “I just really wanted to help and to raise as much as possible.
“Ben and Erin were really happy when they found out about it.
“Understandably, getting this treatment is all that is on their minds just now.”
Former Portlethen Academy pupil Ben, 37, who is a youth care worker at an elementary school, said: “While HSCT is not a certain cure, it has been shown to stop progression and even reverse some of the effects of PPMS in treated patients.
“This (the baby) wasn’t planned to happen at such a turbulent time in our lives but has given us something to be excited and hopeful for.
“It has also galvanised our determination to fight this terrible disease.
“While we are hopeful treatment will reverse some of the effects of Erin’s PPMS, we are really looking to halt progression of this disease and give Erin as long and healthy a life as possible.”
The ceilidh on November 27, will feature music from The New Distillery Ceilidh Band, and some great raffle prizes.
For more information or to buy tickets visit www.erinsceilidh.co.uk or call Vicky on 07968240405.