Kim's fundraising run in memory of beloved brother

Photo: Kim Cobbe pictured with her late brother Dean.

A Durrow woman has raised almost €13,000 for Pieta House in memory of her late brother who died by suicide in 2018.

At the time of going to press (Thursday), Kim Cobbe was getting ready to run her 10km VHI Womens Mini Marathon on the backroads of Durrow that evening to remember her beloved brother Dean and raise funds for the charity support people and communities in crisis by providing freely accessible, professional services to those who are experiencing self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

She couldn't be more thankful to all who have supported her to date.

“I set my initial target at €1,000, now I've nearly €13,000,” she told the Offaly Independent. “I can't believe it...It's just crazy,” added Kim, who said people have been coming in with donations to Spar, Tullamore, where she works in between studying for her Masters in PE Teaching.

“My whole idea doing this is to show no matter how good life seems on the outside – you don't know what is going on in someone's head.”

Her beloved brother Dean died by suicide in 2018.

“On paper, some might say that Dean had it all. Popular, handsome, funny, successful, caring, intelligent, athletic. You name it, Dean had it. He was passionate about his career working as a chemical engineer with many companies all over the world.

“He spent his 31 precious years on this earth filling his life with fun and adventures. However, mental health issues can affect anyone, and Dean is the perfect example of that. We hope he knew how loved he was and we miss him dearly every single day,” Kim said poignantly on her JustGiving page.

“I hope that by raising funds, it can enable Pieta to continue the amazing work that they do, helping families like they helped mine. Without massive fundraisers such as ‘Darkness into Light’ this year, they need all the help that they can get,” Kim said on her fundraising page.

To donate, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kimcobbe