Boy with rare illness raises €9k by walking 200km in a month

A young boy from Tullamore who suffers from a rare illness has raised over €9,000 for Crumlin's Children's Hospital by walking more than 200 kilometres in the month of February.

Nine year old Jack McDermott had originally set himself the target of walking 150km in February to raise funds for the day unit at Crumlin, but reached his target early and decided to go for 200km.

By the time February 28 came around, he had clocked up 210km by walking around Tullamore, usually with his dad Brendan.

Jack and his family have first-hand experience of the great work carried out by the staff at Crumlin. He, along with his brother Brendan and sister Sommer, suffer from Bechet's Syndrome, a rare auto-immune disease that results in the inflammation of the blood vessels and tissues. Some of the most common symptoms include genital and mouth ulcers, painful and swollen joints, acne-like spots, red, painful eyes and blurred vision.

The condition affects Jack's eyes, joints and blood vessels. However, it doesn't stop him from leading a very active life. In fact, in January he also walked 100km in 17 days.

His efforts have captured the imagination of his local community and further afield. A huge GAA fan, as word spread of his exploits he received messages of encouragement from some of including Offaly GAA's leading figures, Aaron Leavy, Anton Sullivan, Shane Dooley and Katie Kehoe. His own club, Tullamore, also gave him plenty of support, including some of his team mates in the club's under nine teams, who sent him video messages, while the Offaly ladies football team has asked him to lead them out before their first match when restrictions are eased.

Taking a well earned rest for a few days, Jack will be putting on his walking runners this Saturday to participate in the Walk for IMNDA and Offaly Homeless, which established by the late Paddy Fenning.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent, Jack's proud father Brendan, who walked a good chunk of the 210km with his son, said that he and his family have been overwhelmed by the people's generosity and the response to Jack's efforts. At a time when good news stories are in short supply, Jack's story and his desire to help others struck a chord with many. “People are in hardship in different ways and it touched a lot of people,” he said.

Jack's Go Fund Me page will remain open for the next ten days, if you'd like to donate go to: https://ie.gofundme.com/f/jacks-150km-walk-for-crumlin-medical-day-unit.