28 peaks in 28 days: Tallow man raises funds for early onset Parkinson’s
Tallow-born Ian O’Brien, now living in Dungarvan, is undertaking a significant challenge: to conquer the 27 highest points in the European Union plus Ben Nevis in the UK, in just 28 days. The former St Colman’s College student was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease (EOPD) at the age of 38, and is raising money for the charity EOPD.ie
Recently celebrating his birthday, the now43 year old did not get a diagnosis of Parkinson’s for a number of years. His initial symptoms were depression and anxiety, and he went through a number of years of various tests before a friend suggested he see a neurologist: within 10 minutes, he had his diagnosis.
Always an outdoorsy type, when Ian went back to his friend and told him, he “dragged me up to the top of Carrauntoohill! I thought, if I can get on top of Ireland’s highest mountain, I can get on top of this disease”.
The feat, Ian says, is more of a logistical challenge than a physical one. While some peaks are no more than hills (Mollehoj, Denmark’s highest point, is just 171 metres high) , others will take two or three days. The clock starts when he and two friends, Brian Roche and Lorraine McDonnell, reach the summit of Mount Blanc on June 5th. Being the highest peak in both France and Italy, it offers value-for-money in terms of the challenge. Over the whole thing, he will be helped by about 20 or 30 people, including his brother and cousins. Everyone on the trip is self-funded, so every penny raised goes directly to the charity.
Ian is one of the founders of EOPD.ie. While the charity is a beneficiary of the challenge, he has stepped down from the board to avoid a conflict of interest. The charity is necessary, he says, as when someone is diagnosed at a younger age it’s a “different stage of life”.
“How do you tell your kids? Your workplace? You have to consider conversations about starting a family. We continue to grow as an organisation, which is a sad thing.”
Ian’s advice for anyone effected is to talk to people, and to get support. He puts huge stock also in the power and benefits of exercise.
“It doesn’t have to be 28 peaks either! Just a bit of movement. If you can’t get out of the bed today, but tomorrow you do and get down the hall, that’s exercise. It reduces symptoms - not just for Parkinson’s but other diseases too, and releases endorphins.”
PESTICIDES
When it comes to his diagnosis, his symptoms weren’t necessarily ones associated with the disease.
“It comes with so many different symptoms, and you wouldn’t associate anxiety as a symptom of Parkinson’s. They say 10% of people with Parkinson’s are under-60 (considered to be ‘Young’ or ‘Early onset’) but I know plenty in their early 40s or even 20s. These are my own observations, but I’m in the know.”
While generally thought of as a genetic disease, Ian says that there is a lot of research being undertaken into the use of pesticides. UCC are at the moment investigating links between the disease and farmers, and several scientific papers have already pointed to links between pesticides (like weed killer) and Parkinson’s, the earliest published in 1985. In 2012, France recognised Parkinson’s as an ‘occupational disease’.
To support Ian’s fundraising effort in June and to view the route, visit eurupian. com.