'A good friend insisted I climb Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrauntoohil... If I can get to the top of Ireland then I can get on top of my diagnosis!'
Tell us about what inspired this adventure… Did Charlie Bird’s Croagh Patrick climb spark an idea?
Great question. So the idea came to me shortly after I was diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson’s about five years ago. Following the diagnosis, a good friend insisted I climb Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrauntoohil. It acted as a metaphor for me. If I can get to the top of Ireland then I can get on top of my diagnosis! The idea then developed into the 28-day European challenge over the following months, but Covid and associated travel restrictions definitely delayed the planning process.
The message is quite simple; do something! Do something today that you couldn’t do yesterday. Use exercise, get engaged and stay connected with people, as it’s often easy to retreat into yourself mentally. You don’t have to fight Parkinson’s but you can live with it. I am still at a stage in my Parkinson’s that allows me to climb mountains but not everyone is.
There is a donation button on the website to raise funds for the charity EOPD.ie which helps young people with Parkinson’s. There are a lot of scenarios that younger people need help with once diagnosed that are quite different to a later diagnosis and EOPD.ie has really helped me with that. I encourage everyone to follow me on my journey and share my story on social media. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn .
During the month of June, Ian O’Brien will attempt to climb 28 of the highest points in the UK and each of the EU countries. Hoping to raise an impressive €100,000 for Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease CLG, you can find out more information about his journey and make your own donation
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