Local duo scale Kilimanjaro and help three charities
An Athlone woman and a Ballinasloe woman were among ten college graduates who scaled Kilimanjaro recently for charity.
Doireann Langan, from Athlone, and Maedbh Hurst from Ballinasloe and eight others discovered their shared love for hiking, which brought them together during Covid-19, and decided to channel this passion into raising funds for various charities and encouraging others to take up hiking.
On August 7-13 this year, as part of the Get Up that Hill (GUTH) initiative, the ten friends tested their physical and mental endurance to the limit, as they undertook their ultimate hike, by scaling 5,895 meters of Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world and one of the Seven Summits.
Self-funding the cost of their trip, one hundred per cent of the funds raised from individual supporters, their employers, and sponsors, is to be divided equally between three charities: the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA), Save Elders Tanzania; and the Irish Kidney Association (IKA). With funds still coming in since their expedition in August, to date €11,500 has been raised through their online GoFundMe platform.
The ten young men and women who are all in full time employment include: 23-year-old Veronica Horan, from Ferns, Co Wexford who is the youngest in the group; and fellow Wexford woman Colleen Nolan, from Drinagh; 26-year-olds and two of the eldest members in the group, Joanne Langton from Stradbally, Co Laois and Maedbh Hurst from Ballinasloe, Co Galway; Maedbh’s fellow Galwegian Roisin Nolan from Furbogh; Daithí Horan from Athy, Co Kildare; three West Corkmen including Ruairi Mensink, from Allihies, Ciarán O'Sullivan, from Castletownbere, and Seamus Lyons from Eyeries; and Doireann Langan from Athlone,who shares a house in Dublin with Maedbh and Seamus.
Doireann, who works as a pharmacist said: “We are all so grateful to everyone who have supported us and contributed to our fundraising which we hope will help two very worthy Irish charities who help patients and their families here in Ireland while also giving something back to Tanzania, a magnificent country which has given us memories we will treasure for a lifetime. A special mention is due to Expect In Africa Safari, the Tanzania-based company, which looked after us throughout our hike and safari, they were outstanding!”
Corkman Ciarán O’Sullivan, who works in Operations for Australian Tech company Halaxy, explained:“It was a phenomenal experience and unforgettable personal achievement for each and every one of us.
“It took us seven days and six nights to complete and in that time we hiked through rainforest, moorland, and the daily changes in temperature of the alpine desert from extreme heat to freezing cold.
“The scenery was spectacular and different every single day and the terrain and altitude changes brought different challenges including headaches, muscle pain and difficulty breathing.
“Fortunately, we had recruited four local guides who could help us prepare and navigate through the terrain and, when our resolve began to falter, we gave each other encouragement to push through, motivated by our pledge to help three deserving causes.
“We took the time away from our workplaces as annual holiday leave and self-financed our trip determined that every cent raised went into the fundraising pot”.
To honour the memory of young Galway woman Maedbh Hurst’s grandmother Betty O’Hare, who passed away with Motor Neurone Disease before Maedbh was born, the IMNDA was chosen to receive some of the fundraising proceeds. This charity delivers support to over 400 families suffering with MND around Ireland today.
The group’s Instagram page @getupthathill2022 includes photos of the group's endeavours.
https://www.instagram.com/getupthathill2022/
The Irish Kidney Association’s 37th Annual Service of Remembrance & Thanksgiving for organ donors and transplant recipients will be broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Radio 1 at 11am on Sunday, October 30.
The GoFundMe link for donations is https://www.gofundme.com/f/get-up-that-hill-2022
Individuals who wish to support organ donation are encouraged to Share their Wishes with their family and keep the reminders of their decision available by carrying the organ donor card, permitting Code 115 to be included on their driver’s licence or having the ‘digital organ donor card’ App on their smartphone. Organ Donor Cards can be requested by visiting the IKA website www.ika.ie/get-a-donor-card or to your phone, phoning the Irish Kidney Association on 01 6205306 or Free text the word DONOR to 50050.