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A MAN WHO suffers from a rare genetic disorder that obscures his sight, and will eventually make him blind, has set sail on a trip around Ireland to raise money for the RNLI and Irish Guide Dogs.
The trip will see Chris Egan travel around the country for two months, on a trip he hopes will “promote sailing for people like me who may have been sailing for years but who have acquired a disability”.
Limerick native Egan, from Foynes Yacht Club, has done this before. He circumnavigated Ireland with fellow sailor David Bevan in 2013 after they were both diagnosed with cancer. They raised €25,000.
Since then, however, Egan has successfully received treatment for cancer but has been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a debilitating eye condition that will eventually cause him to lose his sight.
He has undergone training with Irish Guide Dogs in the use of a long cane for mobility, and training on independent living skills, ahead of him getting a guide dog in the future.
Egan hopes to use this initiative to show that visually impaired people can still live a normal life and learn specialist skills to get ahead.
Alongside Bevan and Jim Humphreys, Egan will sail their 38ft yacht Tranquility around the country, hoping to return to Foynes in the first week of July.
“Our adventure is called Gangway for Guide Dogs,” he said.
For me, as well as raising awareness and funds for Irish Guide Dogs and the RNLI, this challenge is also promoting sailing for people like me who may have been sailing for years but who have acquired a disability.
Brian Curtin, community fundraising manager at the RNLI, said: “This is a fantastic challenge and one cannot but be inspired by Chris’s determination, encouraging attitude and his generous willingness to raise awareness and funds for ourselves in the RNLI and the Irish Guide Dogs.”
Updates on how Egan and his friends are getting on can be found here.
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All the money is going to the Children’s Hospital, though the HSE will deny that.
Maybe that’s why my father in-law of 90 years of age was refused home help, even though the district nurse put it in as urgently needed
I see the amount of money they waste daily and I can tell you with a small amount of initiative theyd save billions but the top brass could care less
I’m sure Simon Harris with his vast amount of experience in the field of health will sort this out in a flash. We should feel confident that such a giant political figure is top man at the HSE.
@Gus Sheridan: He is such a powerful performer that he never even had to hold down a real job in his life. How amazing is that?!
the audacity of elderly people hoping for some assistance after working and contributing through some of the most lean times in irish history those who tightened their belts while their leaders bought their shirts in paris and danced ring a rosie with the cassock clad soldiers of evil how dare they look for comfort or care …
That’s very little to spend on home are a year ,that’s ONLY €338 a YEAR ie 0.92cent a DAY!
Meanwhile Ireland spends over €14m a DAY on National Debt servicing,….€583,333 an HOUR!If FG fought to get a better deal from Troika in 2011 as Prof Mody said they could have done then we ‘d have alot more to spend in public services,etc!
I have a friend who is 91, lives alone, and waiting for a home care package. She is vulnerable and at risk. Her extended family helps at random times but she has always been independent and finds it difficut to be in a position to need assistance.
If you vote for FFG you will only get more of this
have your say