21 year old James Fahy is in the last stages of preparation for his fourth marathon. This one is very special to him as he is running it to raise funds for Enable Ireland disability services in Cork. James was born with Cerebral Palsy and attended Enable Ireland’s children’s disability services from the age of three years old until he was a teenager. James is now 21 years old and in his third year studying Commerce at UCC.
Looking back on his time with Enable Ireland James says,
“I had a great experience with Enable Ireland when I was a child. I went to their centre regularly when I was in primary school. Mostly I needed physiotherapy to help my legs with strength and speed and then later on occupational therapy to help with handwriting. In primary school I needed to wear AFOs (ankle foot orthosis) to help me control my leg movement and enable me to walk independently. At the time I really didn’t appreciate having to wear them and do all the physio but now I can see the bigger picture and how beneficial they were to me. I am so grateful to the Enable Ireland therapists, in particular – Doireann, Laura and Sarah - for all the support they gave me over the years. I’d love to meet them again now as an adult and thank them for everything.”
James started running during the Covid lock down. He started out running just 1km and now he runs marathons.
“All the work the physios did was to make my legs stronger so that walking and running was easier for me. I just think the team there are incredible. I feel very fortunate that I receive all the care and support I needed from Enable Ireland and I want to help make sure other children get the same opportunities as I did to participate fully in life."
“When you are a child you just want to be treated the same as everybody else. I think Enable Ireland helps to give children the best chance to experience that. That’s why I want to run the marathon to raise funds and awareness for them. It is not just about the difference they made in my life but also all the other children they support. One of my last appointments with Enable Ireland when I was a teenager was in their new children’s services centre in Curraheen. I was so impressed with the facilities there. They are just unbelievable and so much space to use for therapy. It’s fantastic to be able to do something to support the organization.”
You can support his fundraiser for Enable Ireland services by visiting this link.
