Friends raise awareness and funds for CF Ireland

A TEAM of 20 friends  completed the VHI Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland in honour of one of the women’s daughter Eva, a fourteen-month-old girl who has cystic fibrosis.

Little Eva Murray was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was just three weeks old after undergoing a heel prick test.

“It was a big shock for us because neither me nor her dad had anyone in our families with cystic fibrosis,” Eva’s mum Rachel, told The Echo.

“We didn’t know much about it at the time so reading about it at the beginning was pretty scary.”

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited chronic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system in which a defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce thick mucus that can clog the lungs and obstruct the pancreas and stop natural enzymes from helping the body to break down food.

According to CF Ireland, the impact of CF can vary from one person to another and there are some people with CF who live until their teens and others who live to their 50’s.

“The research has come a very long way because of those with CF and their families who have campaigned and fundraised over the years,” Rachel, who lives in Walkinstown, explained.

“The outlook is much better for people who have CF today, but there is still work to be done.”

The team of friends after completing their mini-marathon challenge for CF Ireland

According to Mum Rachel, Eva is responding well to her current medications and will be starting the drugs that treat the cause of CF when she is two years old.

“She is just gorgeous – she’s funny and happy and she has just started to walk which is good fun and she is very energetic,” said Rachel.

One of the ways to raise awareness and much-needed funds for charities such as CF Ireland is by fundraising – which is exactly what Rachel and her 20 friends from Alexandra College in Milltown did on Sunday, September 19 when they ran the VHI virtual Women’s Mini Marathon.

Speaking about how the marathon came about, Rachel said: “We are all in a group and keep in touch, but you don’t get the chance to see everyone very often as you get older. Someone suggested in the group about the marathon and suggested charities.

“My close friends would have known that Eva has CF but some of the other girls wouldn’t have known.

“I told them I was going to do it for CF and told them about Eva.

“I put down my phone not thinking anything of it and when I came back everyone had just rallied around it,” said Rachel.

“My friends gathered together and decided that they all wanted to do it for CF Ireland as a support for me and for Eva and for our family.

“I was really moved I was in tears when I started reading the messages – everyone has been brilliant.

“It can sometimes be a lonely road when your child has something like CF, even though so many families are affected by different things, so it was really nice to have that support.”

So far, the women have raised an astonishing €16,145 for CF Ireland – money that will go towards research into new treatments that will help those like Eva in the future.

If you wish to donate to the fundraiser for CF Ireland in honour of Eva, you can go to the campaign page on Go Fund Me HERE.

For more information about cystic fibrosis visit the website of Cystic Fibrosis HERE.