A wish come true for Liam

Hi all. I’m raising funds to help make Liam's dream of attending a six nation rugby match abroad come a reality. Liam has an intellectual disability and many physical challenges. Liam attends day service in the Brothers of Charity in the John Paul centre in Galway where he is supported on a daily basis. From the moment Liam and I met we bonded over our love for sport, rugby in particular. I take Liam to a lot of the local games and also attended a six nation game in Dublin last year. The joy Liam experienced was just fabulous, he just lit up when he saw the crowds and heard the singing. Liam's dream is to go aboard to watch Ireland play, so I have offered to do this fundraiser to help Liam and his Mum, Orla to make this dream a reality. The plan is to book tickets for Six Nations 2026 as soon as they go on sale, and are looking at Italy. Every donation makes a huge difference for Liam his mother Orla. If you could take a moment to click the link below to donate a few € or share it with others, it would be much appreciated.

My Challenge:

I will be cycling from Galway to Croagh Patrick, climbing the mountain, then cycling back into Galway. This will happen on the 31st of May 2025. I plan to start from Liams family home at 4:30am, hope to arrive at Croagh Patrick at 10:30AM, start to climb the mountain at 11:30AM. On my return to Galway I will finish the final stage of my fundraiser at John Paul Centre hope to arrive at 8:30pm where Liam attends his day service with his buddy’s. Any one that would be interested in joining me on the Cycle and Climb or just to be there to support the event are very welcome. This fundraiser will help pay for flights for the three of us as Liam needs assistance at all times, special disability accommodation and tickets.

Any funds left over will be donated to the Day Service in Meadowview, John Paul Centre Galway. This money will go towards providing gym equipment that will benefit all of his friends and the service.

A few words about me.

I am from the Claddagh, I am 50 years of age, I am a twin and the youngest of eight children. I work within the intellectual disability and mental health community and have over 20 years experience in this job. I have also worked as fitness couch for the last 15 years, and opened my own gym in Ballybrit in 2024. I specialise in kettle bell sports / mobility training helping individuals with Scoliosis, Osteoporosis and Arthritis and design programs for strength, functional and mobility training. I make all users of my gym feel respected and valued, as well as mapping their progress to ensure they receive the best support possible.

I have my own life challenges and was diagnosed with IBD two years ago . I didn’t know how to take this news as have been physically active and fit all my life and ensured I ate good nutrition and be as healthy as I could. I was offered an olive branch by the experts in treatment for pre bowel cancer to try a new a treatment which I did. This was life changing factor for me as this is a long term condition. I had to cut out all fruit and veg and all the foods I loved and go very basic but as weeks and months went by I got stronger, I was finally able to introduce a wider range of food back into my diet. I still remember the day that I could drink a cup of coffee again. A year on with hard work and patience and with the support of my family, especially my daughter, my health is now back to where I was before my diagnosis and I am stronger mentally and physically. My message to any one who has IBD or IBS is you will turn that corner but you need to put the work in.

This new venture will be a massive challenge for Liam and myself. Lets all get together on the 31st of May 2025 , to give Liam his dream and I guess to help me get to the finish line ❤️