Major reasons for a mini run

The women running today are a true inspiration, rising up after tragedy and disease to help other

THEY come in their droves from the four corners of Ireland wearing charity T-shirts, smiles — and the odd stetson and feather boa.

The 35th VHI Women’s Mini Marathon takes place in Dublin today and come hail, rain or shine, the atmosphere is always jovial and joyful, with 50,000 women taking part. But behind the positive spirit and the hundreds of thousands of euros in donations to worthy causes are the very human stories of triumph over adversity. As well as being one of the country’s most famous charity fundraisers, the mini-marathon is usually a cathartic experience. Here, we speak to extraordinary, ordinary women — many of whose lives have been touched by loss, including the death or terminal diagnosis of a child, parent, family member or friend. Be prepared to be inspired.

Claire McLoughlin

The insurance broker, 30, from Portroe, Co. Tipperary, is married to machine operator Liam and they have two children, Bill, 2, and one-year-old Chloe. She is running in aid of ACT for Meningitis. She says:

‘CHLOE had meningitis at seven months and we are extremely lucky with our story — I just wish it was the same for every family. It started with a temperature on Christmas Day, which was a Sunday. We brought her to Shannon Doc on the Tuesday, where they prescribed antibiotics for tonsillitis.

Two days later she had a seizure in my husband Liam’s arms so we brought her to our own GP in Borrisokane. They knew by the look of her she had a bacterial infection, they gave us medicine to stop the seizure and we brought her by ambulance to Ballinasloe hospital. They said it was most likely she had meningitis. We couldn’t believe it — she had no rash and she had all her vaccinations.

We were in complete disbelief and shock. With the type of meningitis Chloe had, they don’t get a rash. Instead the signs are if your baby has a fever, is sensitive to light and is stiff. They think that she got meningitis because her immune system was down following a virus.

Her hearing was initially affected but that’s fine now. She’s standing up now and starting to walk around the coffee table — she’s flying.

She was very lucky. If she’d had the seizure in her sleep and not in Liam’s arms, she wouldn’t be here. ACT for Meningitis were so supportive to us, so we said we’d like to raise money for them. They are trying to raise money to build a centre in Galway to help kids who have been affected by meningitis. I’ve never run in my life, I’m training since the middle of March and I’m hoping I’ll be able for it!’

Claire Ryan

The visuallyimpaired civil servant, 27, from Cork, (left) is running with a guide for Fighting Blindness. She says:

‘IN SEPTEMBER 2015, I took up running with a college friend, who is totally blind. Initially I was reluctant, as I never did any kind of sport before and it was a really tough learning curve.

I was born with just a small bit of vision in my right eye, I can see large shapes and lights, I can tell day from night and colour contrasts like the grass versus concrete or tarmac. I used to live near the Phoenix Park, where I would see runners going by but it never attracted me. It didn’t seem it would ever be something I’d be into. Gradually I got to like it, even though I was in no way good at it. But when the endorphins flow, you get a great kick out of it and it puts you in good form.

I run with a Dutch guide called Nanda, who has become a good friend. It’s a big responsibility for her, she has to concentrate on making sure I’m safe, letting me know if there’s rough ground coming up, if I need to veer, turn a corner, if there are buggies, dogs or kids ahead. Our communication is very good.

The mini-marathon is really well organised and if you’re visually impaired you start before the others do. The elites come behind us, which is good fun too.’

Eleanor Mooney

The retired HSE counsellor is from Enniscrone, Co Sligo. She says:

‘THIS is my 25th year and it gets bigger and better. I run in aid of our Lady of Lourdes Children’s hospital, Crumlin. My eldest daughter Anna was killed in a car accident in Galway 36 years ago this month and I believe some of her organs went to Crumlin hospital. She was 14 years old and she had just done her Inter Cert.

It took some years to pull myself together afterwards and then I began to fundraise for the hospital. I worked as an addiction counsellor for the HSE in Donegal for ten years and I do a charity walk on the Atlantic Drive there every New Year’s Day. I’ve collected over €300,000 for Crumlin since 2000 doing that and the mini-marathon. It’s an absolutely marvellous event — talk about empowering women.’

Liz Collins

The 49-year-old is from Dublin. Her daughter Claudia, 13, has Epidermolysis Bullosa. She says:

‘IT WASN’T until I had a kid with a condition that I realised what a terrific day the mini-marathon is. You can’t cure them but you do whatever you can. The year after Claudia was born, I did my first one for Debra Ireland and it was quite emotional coming over the finish line. I felt a bit empowered and when you have a child with EB you’re usually feeling helpless and powerless.

They’re not going to find a cure in my daughter’s lifetime but there’s tremendous stuff Debra does for families like ours every day. When Claudia was born early, we were told she had EB, a rare inherited skin-blistering condition. Now she’s in first year in St Louis High School in Rathmines and I am in awe of her courage.

She can’t walk very far, the power of her hands is null and void, she’s wrapped in bandages head to toe like a mummy, and she has to endure three-and-a-half hour dressing changes that are extremely painful for her every other night. But she’s doing well at school and she even does ballet, which is unheard of.

I got breast cancer two years ago, had a mastectomy and am in remission. Now I love running and going to the gym — I’ve never felt fitter.’

Janette Byrne

Janette, from Finglas, works for the Irish Deaf Society in Cabra, Dublin. She says:

‘A LOT of small charities have suffered terribly because of the disgraceful behaviour of some bigger charities. We are really struggling. We’re getting wage cuts, feeling miserable and morale is at an all-time low. But we’re laughing now because seven of us have decided to do the mini-marathon, just to have a presence there. We are the laziest bunch of crocks so if you hear of someone taken off in an ambulance it’s probably us!

I’ve had cancer twice — NonHodgkins Lymphoma in 2000 and malignant melanoma in 2006. I understand why people run for the cancer charities but the smaller charities are crucial too. The Irish Deaf Society is a drop-in service for the deaf community — whether it’s booking them hair appointments or 21st birthday parties, helping them with CVs or eFlow letters or translating something into Irish sign language or helping if they’ve lost a bank card. We have deaf scouts, a deaf gay and lesbian organisation — even a deaf choir, would you believe!

But we’re not on anyone’s radar, it feels like we’re invisible. So we’ll be out in our IDS T-shirts on Monday!’

Sharon Farrell

The IT worker, 43, is a mother of three from Stamullen, Co. Meath. She says:

‘IN SEPTEMBER 2015 my cousin and next-door-neighbour Neil Pyne passed away from leukaemia, aged 26. In 2014, when he was receiving treatment in St James’s I was running the mini marathon and asked him what charity he’d like me to support. He said the Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust and I have been supporting them ever since.

Neil was a very positive person, he was never doom and gloom. So even though the whole family are devastated to lose him, it feels great to be able to do something positive in his memory. It’s such a great event and though many people there have sad stories, it’s a day of happiness and celebration.’

Naomi Brady

The 21-year-old from Blanchard stown in Dublin is a social care student in Carlow IT. She says:

‘I’M doing it for the Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust because I had leukaemia last year and got a bone marrow transplant in St James’s Hospital in September. I met a lot of people who didn’t make it and I feel very lucky. The charity was great at supporting families from all over Ireland,

putting them up in apartments near the hospital, providing them with unlimited drinks and snacks, little things. I got out of hospital just before my 21st in November. I had no energy when I was sick so it felt great to be able to get out and walk when I came home. The mini-marathon has been the perfect event for me to work towards.’

Alison Hardy

The 33-year-old insurance broker and mother-of-one is from Moone, Co. Kildare. She says: ‘MY MOTHER and best friend Sylvia Coyle passed away on March 22 from cancer. She was buried on Daffodil Day. I’m doing the mini-marathon for the Irish Cancer Society’s Night Nurses, who provide endof-life care for cancer patients and their families in their own homes. We found them invaluable. When doctors could no longer treat her, we didn’t want Mum to go to a hospice. We minded her at home for her last three weeks. Having a nurse there was like having another mum in the house for support. She spent Christmas at my house and her breathing was very laboured. My son Alfie was six months then and she said, “I hope to see Alfie when he’s walking”. Alfie started walking yesterday and I got upset because I couldn’t call her. It’s early days and it feels raw. But I’ve enjoyed raising money for such a good cause and my dad John has done a great job of fundraising too.’

Katie Feiritear

The 19-year-old from Dublin 7 is a Leaving Cert student at Castleknock Community College. She says: ‘I AM running for two charities, Threshold and All Together In Dignity (ATD). They advocate for people who need help. I became aware of homelessness at a very young age. When I was 14 I wrote a poem about a homeless man and his shelter. My passion is to help people, especially the homeless, and make everyone feel special. People can become homeless for many different reasons, such as unemployment, family breakdown, mental health problems and drug and alcohol misuse. Threshold helps to prevent people becoming homeless by supporting them, and ATD is helping to fight poverty. I want to raise awareness that homeless people should get the support and justice they deserve. In life it’s important to always follow the golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. Maybe this could help make this country great again.’

Debbie Fisher

The 41-yearold from Greystones, Co. Wicklow, works in recruitment.

She says:

‘I DO the mini-marathon every year for the Gavin Glynn Foundation, which helps the families of sick children to travel abroad for treatment.

I personally have known Gavin’s parents Jayne and John since they were teenagers.

When Gavin became unwell we all came together in 2012 and did the mini-marathon for the first time. We did it for Crumlin Children’s Hospital where he was being treated.

Gavin passed away in October 2014 and now his parents run every aspect of the Gavin Glynn Foundation as well as working day jobs and rearing their other two children.

They look after everything for these families — travel, accommodation, hospital appointments — so all they need to focus on is their sick child.

Last year, we had 220 women doing the mini marathon for the Foundation and managed to raise €20,000.’

Caroline Korves

The 42-year-old epidemiologist from Boston lives in Dublin with her husband Guillermo Franco from Barcelona. They have a daughter Beatrice, 5, and had a stillborn daughter Matilda in September 2015. She says: ‘OUR baby Matilda was stillborn eight days before her due date on September 24, 2015. It was such a shock, we were not expecting it at all, we were ready to have our baby. My parents were here from the US a week prior to help us as soon as she arrived and to help take care of our older daughter.

We had moved to Dublin from London the previous July with my husband’s job, so we were still settling in.

We had the crib ready, the baby clothes washed and folded. Then everything changed.

I went in for a visit to the clinic with my mom. I had sensed a difference but you always think, that’s not possible. We learned there was no heartbeat. I had to take a tablet to quicken the labour process and I carried her for two days more. Then the focus was on getting through the birth.

Seeing her face and giving her a name made it so real. You see everything flash before your eyes — images of her as a child, all the missed moments.

It will be two years this September and since then I’ve had waves of sadness and strength.

After losing Matilda I said to the bereavement midwife, “I don’t know what to do”.

She said, “It’s not the time to do but it’s the time to be. Be with your grief.” I journalled a lot and started running. With my mom I’m walking the mini-marathon for Feileacain, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Association of Ireland.

They’ve been a really important group and their online support is a nice place to go to find people who have been through similar stages and places.’

Lisa Lawlor

The 45-year-old is a civil servant from Milltown, Dublin 14. She lives in Donnycarney, Dublin 5, with her husband Pascal and their daughter Evie, 7. She says: ‘WHEN Evie was four years of age she was diagnosed with an extremely rare condition called Vanishing White Matter Childhood Ataxia. Basically this means that the white matter around her brain is disappearing.

It’s a progressive disease that affects all of her motor skills. Until the age of four she was absolutely perfect, she was the happiest kid.

Unfortunately it’s a short illness and they say she will only live until 10 or maybe 12 years of age. At the moment she can’t walk, sit up or feed — she gets liquid food through a peg in her stomach. She has a little bit of speech left and she can still smile. It is a horrendous disease but Evie is a really gorgeous, happy child.

I’m running for two charities — the first is the Make A Wish Foundation, they gave Evie a princess day last June, the whole thing was fabulous.

The second charity I’m supporting is Cliona’s Foundation, which helps families with accommodation, travel, parking and food costs when their child is sick in hospital. People sometimes forget you still have to pay the mortgage and everyday bills when you have a sick child.’