BRENDA HIGGINS is so terrified of heights that she won’t even stand on a stool to clean her windows.
Yet she still plans to jump out of an aeroplane on May 4 to raise money for her grandson, Alex Heaney (9), who is bravely dealing with a life-altering disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
“I really hate heights. I managed to fly by putting my husband in the window seat and sticking my head in a puzzle book,” Brenda told the Limerick Post.
“Am I nervous? That’s a massive understatement – if it wasn’t for Alex I wouldn’t be doing this, but I’m doing the jump on his tenth birthday and I promised him I’ll land on his cake”.
60-year-old Brenda will be jumping at an airfield in Birr, County Offaly.
“There’s only two places in Ireland you can do a jump and Offaly is only up the road. Plus there’s a hospital nearby,” she quipped.
Jumping along with Brenda are her colleague Matt O’Sullivan, from the Fit 100 gym where she works, gym member Mohammed Ibrahim and his friend Ruth Radevi Karunanithi.
DMD affects all the muscles in the body, starting with the extremities of the legs and arms, leaving sufferers unable to walk or feed themselves from around eight years of age before it attacks the muscles of the inner organs.
Currently Alex has lost the ability to walk independently and relies on a wheelchair, but he still attends school and loves meeting up with his pals and spending what Brenda describes as “staying awake-overs” at her house.
“He’s just such a happy little guy despite everything. We want a fund so that he won’t be stopped from availing of new treatments when they become available.
“He has had to travel already to have stem cell treatment and if there is any kind of trial or breakthrough, we want him to be able to avail of it. And there are so many ways that his family will have to modify the house for him. We just want to make things as good as they can be for Alex,” said Brenda.
Alex’s parents, Kate and Keith, have organised and taken part in numerous fundraisers, as have many across the Patrickswell community in his name.
“The community support and support generally has been amazing,” said Brenda. “But we have to keep going and keep hoping there is a therapy and a cure out there. I pray for that every day”.
To donate to Brenda’s leap of faith, visit gofundme.com/f/for-alex-a-fundraiser-to-research-and-cure-dmd.
