Fundraiser in aid of motor neurone disease takes place in Breaffy this weekend
A 5k walk will take place in Breaffy this Sunday to raise funds for motor neurone disease (MND).
The walk will start at 1 p.m. from the Breaffy GAA clubhouse and will go around the Breaffy House Hotel grounds. The fundraiser has been organised by Anne Jordan, whose husband has been diagnosed with MND.
"It's tough. He cannot walk, his talk is currently affected and he's a wheelchair," said Anne. "He can't do much for himself at the moment.
"We hope the walk brings awareness about motor neurone disease."
There are currently over 400 people living with MND in Ireland. MND is often referred to as the 1,000-day disease as most people die within 1,000 days of first symptoms. One person dies every three days from MND.
When Fr. Tony Coote did his extraordinary walk two years ago from Donegal to Cork – some 550 kilometres – he raised €600,000 for MND.
From these miraculous funds, the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA) were able to hire a much needed fourth outreach nurse to care and support people living with Motor Neurone Disease in Ireland. This has been invaluable, allowing IMNDA’s nursing team to reach more people in the community more often.
Lillian McGovern, CEO of IMNDA, says: "Without the funds raised from While You Can by Fr Tony Coote and all the incredible people involved, we would not have been able to sustain our nursing service and grow our outreach care further. It’s so important to keep people in their own homes. They need the care and support of their close family and friends and they need to remain active in their community.
"Our outreach nursing service, along with our other key supports, enables us to do this. And that’s why we desperately need you to join us on this September in your communities, so we can raise the crucial funds needed to continue caring and supporting our MND community."
You can donate to Anne's fundraiser by going to: https://fundraise.imnda.ie/fundraisers/annejordan/walk-while-you-can