Raising awareness of ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopaenia) in memory of my daddy Liam Burns

ITP is a condition which causes the number of platelets in your blood to be reduced. Platelets enable the blood to clot and they are needed to help you stop bleeding and bruising after an injury. ITP causes your body’s immune system to destroy your platelets. White blood cells in your blood and spleen are part of your immune system, one of their main functions is to produce antibodies which help your body to fight infections. If you develop an autoimmune condition your immune system can become overactive and the white blood cells will start to destroy things they shouldn’t, such as, your own platelets. This happens mainly in the spleen. ITP is an autoimmune condition.

My name is Clare Burns and I am taking part in the Open Water Swimathon event on Saturday 11th September at Lake Kilrea, where I will be swimming a distance of 5K. This is equivalent to 200 lengths in a 25m pool and it is considered to be a swimming half marathon. I am undertaking this open water swim to raise awareness of ITP and fundraise for the Northern Ireland Haemophilia Centre in the Belfast City Hospital. Funds raised will go towards supporting patients and families affected by bleeding disorders.

My daddy suffered from ITP and Evan’s Syndrome for the 27 years from his diagnosis and was treated by Professor Mary Frances McMullan and Dr Benson respectively in the Northern Ireland Haemophilia Centre.

My daddy and I decided on the fundraising together a few months before he passed away as he wished to thank Dr Benson and his team for all the care and love he received over the years. I had hoped at that time that my daddy would have participated in being my organiser for the event and to be there on the day to cheer me on, however, sadly after a brave and courageous fight my daddy passed away on 2nd April 2021, however, knowing my daddy he will forever be by my side.

My fiancé, Jerald Belmonte, was also very keen to become involved with the fundraising and raising awareness of ITP as he witnessed first-hand the immense strength my daddy had and the support given to him by the Haematology team. He will be completing a 300km cycle event over the week of his 30th birthday along with his friend AJ Madrid.

My daddy not only suffered from ITP but also had diabetes, Crohn’s disease, aortic valve replacement, congestive heart failure, pulmonary fibrosis, diverticular disease, Evan’s syndrome, bladder stones, gallstones (cholecystitis), basal cell carcinoma and hiatus hernia. His ITP condition deteriorated over time and began to take a huge toll on my daddy, especially over the last few years. The Haemophilia Centre did everything to give my daddy the best quality of life for as long as possible. The past few years had been extremely challenging for my daddy but no matter how much pain and suffering he was dealing with he never complained and lived for every day. He is our hero and is an example to us all on how to live life to the fullest. In his darkest days he was still the one caring for others, visiting friends and relatives who were sick and always making everyone laugh with his jokes, even in times when we did not think laughing was possible.

My daddy took seriously ill in April 2020 at the height of Covid when he was isolated from us all and during this time, as usual, he stated his life was in the hands of Dr Benson and his team. My daddy greatly admired and had unshakeable faith in Dr Benson and his Haematology team who got him through this very difficult time and enabled us to share another very precious year with our amazing daddy.