It’s my second year without my Dad on Father’s day and it was as sad and lonely as last year without him. I spent the day in beautiful Donegal in a place my Dad loved, surrounded by the Bluestack Mountains and stunning Lough Eske Lake. It poured rain and was wet and humid, like my heart.
The day before was in stark contrast. The sun shone and my mood was upbeat, excited to explore and cycle the hills of Donegal and spend precious time with my hubby and son, Cúán. I was starved for exercise having just finished a course of antibiotics and steroids for a chest infection and a course of corticosteroids for my ulcerative colitis. I had stuck to the rule of thumb for illness and exercise ‘if it’s below the neck, don’t exercise’. I had practised ‘visualisation’ as a substitute, exercising my body through my brain without moving a muscle. Science says it works so the cycle would be the test.
The cycle was a combination of ‘hacking hikes’ i.e. my chest objecting to being in recovery and forced to work hard aerobically on the climbs and ‘battered buttocks’ i.e. If you’ve ever cycled on a pot hole road covered in gravel on a steep decline at 40-50 kms an hour, you will know it’s like receiving an electric shock with most vibration impacting your ‘derrière' and hands. To minimise this unnatural phenomena cyclists wear padded tights lavished with ‘bum butter/chammy cream’. Some cyclists who don’t know any better spread this cream on their derrières and I won’t share the impact of this serious error.
Thankfully, the only after effect for me was persistent coughing and frustration, nothing that another antibiotic, sleep and serious motivational therapy won’t cure.
Its 13 weeks to my fundraising cycle and four days to the CPD fundraiser in the Law Society. We are 1/10th towards the fundraising target and I feel I am about half way towards my training target. We have numerous strategic plans to achieve the fundraising target but the cycle is dependent upon me and my body behaving, something it is not doing lately. I know if my Dad were alive he would say ‘Aim for the moon and you’re sure to reach the stars’. Well this woman has aimed for Paris 2 Nice and there is no half way. I know my Dad will be with me every step of the way, encouraging, loving and supporting me from above. He never gave up when challenged with adversity despite losing the sight in one eye, having to learn to walk again and battling cancer. He is my hero.
At 51 years of age I would like to be an advocate for those suffering from ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease to raise an awareness of basic necessities and supports that can make a real difference.
I would like to fundraise for a Fellowship, a doctor who can provide medical support and care services that are not currently available and who can research to identify additional supports that could make this incurable disease more tolerable,
I would like to become an endurance road cyclist who successfully completes a cycle from Paris to Nice and along the way increases the necessary donations to fund the Cycle4CrohnsColitis Fellowship, which is my principle reason and motivation for this cycle,
I have a dream that I’m turning into reality! Help me and my fellow ulcerative colitis warriors on our journey by pledging funds to our fellowship click here to help and donate.
Follow our journey from Ireland to Paris to Nice – watch out for our weekly blog from doctors, IBD specialist nurses and fellow warriors.
Thanks for your support,
Attracta
PS Tomorrow Thursday 20th June, we are hosting a CPD event at The Law Society of Ireland on GDPR & NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR SOLICITORS - All proceeds from this event will be donated to Cycle4CrohnsColitis an initiative by Attracta O’Regan, supported by Beaumont Hospital Foundation and the Law Society Finuas Skillnet. Book here
