LIMERICK woman Amy Keller will this weekend complete a mammoth fundraising challenge inspired by her 20-month-old niece Hazel, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) shortly after she was born.
Back in 2021, pre-school teacher Amy undertook to run 65 different parkruns to raise awareness of CF and gather funds for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland (CFI).
The Limerick woman says she was inspired by CFI’s 65 Roses Challenge, which sees people run, walk, or cycle to raise funds for the charity’s 65 Roses national fundraising day (May 26).
Amy began her challenge in November 2021 in the University of Limerick and has now completed 64 parkruns stretching from Antrim down to the Kerry peninsula, Achill across to Dublin, taking the ferry to Bere Island and even completing a parkrun in Sweden.
She is now near the end with only one parkrun left to complete at St Anne’s Park in Dublin this Saturday, August 12. So far she has raised almost €6,000 for CFI.
“Hazel had been admitted to Crumlin Children’s Hospital with a really nasty rash when she was only a few weeks old. She had been discharged and her parents, Joanne and Dylan, were bringing Hazel home when they got the call that the heel prick test detected CF.
“It was an awful shock for everyone,” remembers Amy.
Hazel began a strict regime of physio and medication to keep her well and, at eight weeks old, she was the youngest female to be diagnosed with CF in Ireland.
“I knew a bit about CF from working in the preschool. But I took to Dr Google and the first website that came up was the CFI website. It was such a great way of learning about CF.
“You know yourself, at the beginning, you are trying to learn and get as much info as possible and learn as much as you can about something, but you need reliable information” Amy explains.
As she learned about CF in that first year, she was impressed by the work of CFI from providing grants and advocacy to funding consultant positions and hospital projects. In particular Amy was impressed by how strong and tight knit the CF community is.
When the dust had settled after Hazel’s diagnosis, she decided to do something to support her sister and her family by supporting CFI.
“We all love Hazel and care for her, and we can all support Joanne and Dylan as much as they need. But they live with the constant fear and worry of Hazel getting sick and I can’t take away that fear.
“So I wanted to help but I also wanted to do something different. I enjoy running and I love the odd road trip, so I decided on the park runs. By doing this, I feel like I’m doing a bit more to help CFI support families and people with CF.
“And Hazel will benefit from that and all the work they do in the future,” she adds.
“Like CFI, at the heart of the parkruns is community. Each location has its core group running, but everyone is welcome and there is always a tail walker to make sure no one is last. So the ethos fits with CFI’s too. No one is left behind.”
To donate to Amy’s campaign before her final run this Saturday, visit: JustGiving.com/fundraising/65parkrunsfor65roses
