A Corrundulla man will attempt to swim the length of Killary Fjord in Connemara to raise much needed funds for his nephew who was born with the rare chromosomal condition Mosaic Trisomy 9.
Matthew O’Flaherty will brave the chilly waters of Killary Fjord in Leenane, Ireland’s only fjord, to undertake the charity swim in aid of three-month old Ryan Brennan, on July 26. Having completed the 13km swim three times already, Matthew is hoping to beat his own record and complete the swim in under three and a half hours and raise up to €10,000 for this worthy cause. To reach this target he is calling on the general public to help, either by taking part in the 13km swim or a 15km walk or run, or by generously donating. The event will start at 1pm at Rossroe Pier and finish at the Leenane Pier/Leenane Hotel.
All proceeds will go towards little Ryan’s future care in Temple Street Children’s Hospital Dublin. Ryan was born with Mosaic Trisomy 9, a rare syndrome affecting only 100 people in the world currently.
“Ryan is doing well and getting big, but he has to be on constant 24 hour watch. He is prone to choking at any time because he has no swallow reflux and has to be fed through a tube by machine. Ryan also has to have an operation on his skull to release pressure on his brain because of the way his skull has developed - this will be done in Temple Street Hospital.
“I would like to raise money to help out Ryan’s parents, Jackie and Jonny, even if it’s just to help them with paying for travel every time they have to travel to Dublin or for accommodation, or if we can raise more to help with the operation. I would be hugely grateful if the public could help out in any way they can,” said Matthew.
For more information about taking part or donating phone Matthew on 087 7448107, email [email protected], or find the event on Facebook at Killary Fjord Swim.
