As many of you know, I'm currently standing on the half century doorstep about to knock on door number 50 so that I can join the other quinquagenarians (don't ask me to pronounce this word) inside the club! I've thought long and hard about what I can do to mark this big milestone - I want to do something memorable and meaningful to show my appreciation for getting here without too many bruises and plenty of blessings. I have set myself a fundraising challenge of running 5k each day in May which I would like to dedicate to my beautiful and dearly missed cousin Claire (Hanrahan) and to Uncle Sean (Maguire) who both passed away from Motor Neuron Disease in the last few years.

Claire is my first cousin and one of my best friends. Our families spent all our childhood together and there is barely a happy childhood memory that exists without her in it. She was living her dream life, enjoying a wonderful happy home with a loving husband and four beautiful children when her diagnosis shook our whole world. Despite the magnitude of what was happening, she faced it head on and refused to let MND take any more than it had to from her and her family. Together they lived, embraced and celebrated every single family milestone and holiday that they could, and cherished every moment of happiness. The entire family were truly extraordinary the way they kept the show on the road, and Claire stayed for as long as she possibly could until she passed peacefully on the 28th of April 2020. Our grief at her passing is heartbreaking, ever present and still very shocking. She continues to be my last thought at night and is never far from my mind throughout the day but my grief pales in significance to how much she is missed by her shattered parents, her heartbroken husband and her children Ben, Marcus, Clodagh and Aoife. I know all her family and friends miss her every single day and if miracles were possible we would have given anything to have one for her.

I went home to Ireland in 2016 shortly after Claire was diagnosed and it was then that we found out that Kevin's uncle Sean had received a similar diagnosis. Sean was born in Leitrim in October 1944, he spent his whole life there until he met and fell in love with Kerry on a trip to the States in 2007. Sean and Kerry gave us all a lesson on how to live life when they grabbed their chance of happiness by marrying in September 2011. He left his home place of 67 years and crossed the Atlantic to start this unexpected and happy chapter with his wife in New York. Unfortunately, their time together was cut far too short when he was diagnosed with MND in 2016, and he made a very poignant last trip back to Ireland to tell his family. He passed away in 2018, leaving behind his broken hearted wife, his American and Irish family and his beloved dog Tracy, who was brought over from Ireland to be with him when he got sick. He was loved by everyone, but in particular his nieces and nephews who have the happiest of childhood memories with him on his farm in Leitrim. They thought the absolute world of him and he was without doubt everyone's favourite Uncle. He had a steady, quiet, calm and soft nature that made it such a pleasure to spend time in his company. I am so glad I got to see him in 2016, I remember asking him if he was scared and he said he was very accepting of his fate but his only worry was for Kerry and how she would cope when he was gone. She told me she misses him every day.

Therefore, in honour of both these incredible people and for all my friends who have lost loved ones to MND/ALS I have set this challenge for myself during the month of May. Five kilometres every day might not seem like a lot to the runners and early risers out there but it's enough of a challenge for me to make it difficult without being impossible! If I get injured I'll make it my mission to finish every km either through walking, cycling or getting carried by a volunteers! If you feel like joining me at any point then just let me know as I would love the company and I want this to be fun. I hope to run one of these with Claire's daughters Clodagh and Aoife in Ireland so be prepared for some special social media updates of me running at strange times!

My challenge to you is to resist all temptation to buy me a gift and instead please make a small donation to any MND or Hospice charity - I'm listing an Australian and Irish one on my fundraising pages but happy for you to go with your own local or country charity. No gifts of gin, flowers, cards or bubbles are necessary just a big dose of positivity and any little donation that you can make! I hope my challenge can help raise some small few funds for continued MND research and to support families caring for loved ones with this terrible disease.

Go raibh míle maith agat.

Breeda