Bionic system for Cloghan man

A Cloghan man who is paralysed from the waist down and has been confined to a wheelchair for over eight years is set to regain mobility thanks to a bionic "ReWalk" system and massive fundraising efforts from his friends. Gerry McCabe sustained a spinal injury when he fell from the roof of a building he was working on in May 2004. Last year at an open day in the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire Gerry saw a system that uses powered leg attachments to enable paraplegics to stand upright, walk and climb stairs. His friends launched a massive fundraising drive just four months ago, looking to raise €85,000 for a bionic system and training in how to use it for Gerry. That fundraising drive will conclude with a massive prize draw this Saturday night, and Gerry is set to travel to England in early January to be fitted for the system that's set to change his life. Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week fundraiser Patrick Kenny said he's certain the fundraising target will be reached thanks to support from locals. "The generosity of people - my faith was restored in people how generous they were," Patrick said ahead of Saturday night's bumper prize draw. It's not only Gerry and his fundraising friends that will have smiles on their faces on Saturday night. A draw scheduled for High Street Hall in Belmont at 9pm will see someone walk away with a new car and other take home cash prizes of up to €1,000. It's thought Gerry's "ReWalk" system will be the first used by someone in Ireland. It's hoped it will mean a life-altering change for Gerry, who is depending on his wife Dolores. "It'd turn my life upside down again, but in a good way," Gerry told the Offaly Independent earlier this year, adding that the health benefits of the bionic system would also be huge. More information on Gerry McCabe and the fundraising drive is available at www.gmccabefund.ie, by emailing gmccabefund@gmail.com or by calling 087 1927462.