My name is Thomas (Dean), This challenge is something I've wanted to do personally after I started hiking a few years ago. I've done walks previously for PIPS suicide prevention and also done the Mournes twin peaks for Cancer focus. When I decided to enter the Mournes Sevens this year I thought it was a great opportunity to pick a charity to do it for. Sharon is a friend of our family that I've known for years and the only reason I've even heard of HHT is because of her so hopefully we can help raise funds and awareness for this awful disease through this challenge and I'm looking forward to it (sort of lol )

My name is Simon, I have wanted to do this

challenge for some time and was asked by Dean if I would like to join with him. I thought to myself why not and then he told me about HHT, something I have never heard off, there isn't much awareness about HHT so we are trying to do what we can to change this and to get HHT more recognised, not just at home but around the world and already we've went from 2 to 4 walkers.

My name is Sharon, I’m 56,from Carrick,and I live every day with Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) ,a genetic condition that is so often misunderstood and dangerously overlooked.

Many people associate HHT with nosebleeds or small red spots on the skin, but what lies beneath is far more serious. Hidden arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) can silently affect vital organs ,the lungs, brain, liver, stomach, bowel, and uterus ,putting lives at risk without warning.

My own journey has been relentless. I face unpredictable, life-threatening nosebleeds and ongoing internal bleeding. I have undergone a hysterectomy due to uterine AVMs and now depend on regular blood and iron transfusions just to keep me alive.There is currently no cure ,only management of a condition that continues to progress.

What makes this even more urgent is that up to 90% of people with HHT remain undiagnosed. Families live with strokes, severe bleeding events, and unexplained complications without ever knowing the underlying cause. HHT is too often dismissed as “just a nosebleed” ,but it is anything but.

As a proud board member of HHT Ireland, I work alongside an incredible team to find undiagnosed patients, provide life-saving support, and educate healthcare professionals so that no one is left unheard or unseen.

Your support will directly help us continue this vital work ,raising awareness, saving lives, and giving hope to those who don’t yet know they are affected.

I am deeply grateful for every donation, and for the unwavering support of Dean, Simon, Kris, and Michael, who are taking on their own personal challenges to stand beside this cause.

Together, we can turn awareness into action ,and action into lives saved.🩸