Cormac's Basketball Journey

Hi my name is Cormac. I'm 16. Living in Wexford, Ireland.

I have Autism Spectrum Disorder 2, ADHD and Elher-Danlos Syndrome. EDS has affected my growth, joints, muscles and tendons. I am 6ft 8' and will continue to grow until in my early 20's. I suffer from chronic pain as a result of this in my joints and muscles. I have veen offered medication for this pain but I choose to stay medication free. One thing that has helped my EDS pain and focus is basketball. I live for playing every week. The sport has helped me reduce my overall EDS pain flares by keeping active and my joints flexible.

I am currently training with Igiehon Basketball Academy in Dublin with the hope of being able to play professionally. I am being trained by Aidan Igiehon a professional basketball player. The membership for the academy is €150 per month that my Mam pays and she will drive me up to Dublin with some of my friends every training session or we carpool with friends and my Mam pays for fuel and food for these training sessions.

I have the opportunity to travel to America to play with the Academy. This is something that I dream about doing. My Mam has agreed to let me do this and has covered the majority of the cost of the trip. The total cost of the trip including the additional support I will require is coming to over €3,500. My Mam has paid over €2000 of this so far and has paid for my monthly membership of €150 per month for the last year and covers the cost of Dublin training sessions and local training sessions in the CBS Wexford.

I am a transition year student in CBS Secondary School in Wexford. I play for the local teams and train several times a week and travel to different counties for competitive games.

I have suffered from depression and anxiety since my Dad passed away when I was 7. I went through a really bad time during lock down with depression and became suicidal and felt I had nothing to live for. I have tried antidepressants but they were not working for me. Basketball has given me a reason to live again. It gives me everything to look forward to. It is my sole focus in life. I want to help my Mam to pay for this trip because she is paying for everything alone. I am asking for support with €1000 of costs but would be grateful for any small amount that would help me accomplish my goals. This will leave my Mam with about €500 to pay and it would be good to be able to help her support me in this journey.

Thank you for reading

End date of fundraiser will be the 1st of May.

Cormac Gallagher