Cork camper calls on public to take part in Barretstown walking challenge

Eight-year-old Eoghan Timmons will be doing a West Cork climb with his family for the charity's Climb Every Mountain challenge

Wed, 12 May, 2021 - 13:10

Martha Brennan

An eight-year-old Rosscarbery native is calling on the people of Cork to take part in a walking challenge in aid of Barretstown children’s charity.

Eoghan Timmins, a Barretstown camper, is taking part in the charity’s Climb Every Mountain challenge, which asks supporters to climb any mountain or hill they wish within their county during May and June.

Eoghan, who has a rare blood cell condition, will be doing his climb in West Cork with his family, who are encouraging others to join in on the challenge.

"There's a climb at Carrigfada close to where we live. Normally people from Rosscarbery go there at Christmas and we said we would do it last year but Eoghan found it very difficult,” says Eoghan’s mother Carolanne.

“He finds exercise and activity difficult. So, what he's going to do for the challenge is climb Carrigfada on the June bank holiday weekend with us.”

Eoghan was diagnosed with Heamoglobin Hammersmith when he was just six months old. The condition caused Eoghan's haemoglobin - the protein present in red blood cells that transports oxygen to cells - to drop, which exhausted him and meant he would have to get blood transfusions every few weeks.

"When Eoghan was four months old we took him into hospital. He was very pale and sickly. He ended up having a blood transfusion and staying in hospital for a couple of days. After that, they were trying to find out what caused it and he had tests for a number of months,” Carolanne says.

"Basically his spleen was killing his red blood cells. Eoghan had to go to the Mercy Hospital every three weeks for a blood transfusion from the time he was six months old until he was four and half. It was then decided that the best thing to do was to remove his spleen. He had the procedure in December 2016 and holds his haemoglobin now at about 8. Which, if it was one of us, would mean we'd be in our beds the whole time more or less."

Eoghan takes medication every day to do the work his spleen used to do. "He's great, he's in second class now at school and he's flying it. He absolutely couldn't wait to go back when they reopened."

The family had their first weekend trip to Barretstown planned for March 2020. They had to cancel the trip when lockdown was first enforced, but have participated in the organisation's virtual camps since.

"Barretstown has been great to us. We've done three of their virtual camps since last year. The kids were so excited when the big box of goodies arrived at the house. My eldest is 13, the next is 11, Eoghan is nearly nine, and I have a four year old as well and they all sat around the kitchen table doing the activities. It was fabulous,” says Carolanne.

"So this is just to give back and say thank you to Barretstown. They are missing out in fundraising so it's great to do these types of virtual events."

Barretstown supported nearly 7,000 children last year but suffered a €1m shortfall in fundraising. The charity is hoping events such as the Climb Every Mountain challenge will help raise funds to serve the additional 10,700 children on its waiting list.

“Climb Every Mountain was launched last year in response to our need to enable safe fundraising activities whilst the country was in lockdown. Last year the public raised over €45,000 from this challenge and we are hoping to beat that total for 2021,” says Barretstown chief executive Dee Ahearn.

“I would like to thank and applaud all those who have taken part and continue to take part. Your generosity is so appreciated.”