My grandad was a sporty person and played football with Westmeath. He loved his sport, the outdoors and speaking Irish, I see a lot of myself in him! He was very funny, a real character, he always had a great sense of humour. He also lived with Multiple Sclerosis for 32 years, but he did not let his diagnosis get in the way of what he loved doing.
When I was growing up, I always remembered my Grandad used crutches to walk, and later a wheelchair and a hoist to get him in and out of bed. I didn’t know anything about his MS when I was a child, I just knew Grandad needed a crutch and that was the way he was. He never let that stop him living his life to the fullest. I will always remember him going on holidays and him making a real effort to get about the place. He never let his MS get in his way and always worked around it.
When his MS progressed, my siblings and I used to always call over to his house to meet up with him for the chats, make his dinner and look after him. I grew up with him for 19 years, and I remember him being in hospital quite a bit, even when he was in hospital, he would always have us laughing and looking on the bright side of life.
When I was about 5th or 6th class, my parents explained to me what MS was. I didn’t really know too much but they explained to me what Grandad was living with and why he had to use a crutch and spend some time in hospital. I only fully understood what he was living with when I was about 15 or 16, as he was in and out of the hospital quite a bit, so I remember speaking to him about it. He never let his MS phase him and was always so determined to live his life to the fullest and spend time doing what he loved and was passionate about.
I think we take for granted how amazing our bodies are. I remember scrolling through Facebook one day and seeing a post for the May 50k where the slogan was “Leave your Limits behind”. I was drawn to this, and it struck a chord with me, and my Grandad immediately came to mind. My thought process was no matter how hard the May 50k is, things can be much harder for other people and people have faced greater challenges. My Grandad faced up to his own challenge with a great attitude, mental resilience, and determination to keep on pushing and living his life, I can push myself for the May 50k.
My Grandad lived with MS for 32 years, and he kept on pushing himself and kept on living. He was my inspiration. He never let it get to him and took everything in his stride. In his later life, he used his own experience of living with MS to help others. He used to speak with newly diagnosed people about MS and inspire them as they tried to get their heads around their own diagnosis.
I am now preparing to take part in the May 50k for the third time and training during the week while keeping my Grandad on my mind. I ran a half marathon on St Patricks' day, 2 days after coming out of isolation. I have been preparing for a while now and have been running since my first May 50k in 2020 and haven’t looked back. I find running great and puts me in such a good headspace and keeps my spirits high!
I am trying to rope as many friends in and get them involved as well. I put together a calendar of what runs I am doing and where, throughout the month and I am encouraging them all to take part with me. My advice is to invest in the right footwear and take everything at your own pace! There really is no better feeling than giving back, especially something so close to my heart. It is important to give pay to charities like MS Ireland who have done so much for families like mine.