Diabetes sufferer Brian’s biggest test yet

Donal Hickey

Listowel’s Brian Byrne, who is a father-of-five and works in Kerry General Hospital, Tralee, has been training for months for the Carrantuohill challenge on June 18-19.

“It sounds a bit crazy, but I’m determined to achieve what I’m setting out to do. It’s the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest,” he said yesterday.

Brian plans to raise thousands of euro for the Diabetes Federation and the Cystic Fibrosis Association and hopes the money will help employ additional specialist staff at the hospital.

His training schedule includes weekly walks up Carrantuohill and Mangerton mountains and regular “endurance” sessions at a gym in Killarney run by Aengus O’Donoghue.

“The climb will be my biggest and toughest to date, but I’ve been through hard ones before, including the Iron Man Triathlon and have competed at all distances from a mile to 10-day events,” Brian said.

Now in his mid-fifties, he injects himself with insulin four times daily but has refused to allow diabetes restrict his life.

“The disease does change your life and you have to live with it every day, but that doesn’t mean it rules your life either,” he said.

In 2000, he became the first person in Ireland to receive the Life Scan Award for people with diabetes.

Well-known Kerry mountaineer Con Moriarty will be part of Brian’s large back-up team and a tent used by Con during an Everest expedition will be the base camp.