COLIN FARRELL COMPLETED a marathon with his close friend Emma Fogarty yesterday, hailing her for demonstrating “what courage is all about”.
The Hollywood star ran the Irish Life Dublin Marathon for Fogarty, who is Ireland’s longest survivor with the genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
The actor pushed Fogarty in her wheelchair across the finishing line on Sunday afternoon at the end of his run to raise money for people with the condition.
Born with no skin on her left foot and right arm, Fogarty experiences excruciating blisters from the slightest touch – a condition also known as butterfly skin
They were among 22,500 runners in the marathon, won by Kenyan Moses Kemei with a personal best time of 2:08.47
Oscar-nominated actor Farrell, 48, battled through the pain barrier to finish the 42km run in a time of 4:06.45.
He said his crowning achievement was having Fogarty, from Abbeyleix, in Co Laois, join him for the final 4km, as he pushed her wheelchair.
Having recently reached her 40th birthday – a milestone she thought she might never reach – each of the final kilometres they travelled together represented a decade of Fogarty’s life.
She joined him in a wheelchair for the final 4km of the course – with each kilometre representing a decade of her life.
Their Run To 40 campaign to raise funds for Debra, the national charity supporting people living with EB, initially had a 400,000-euro target but they now aim to achieve a million euro after viewers of the Late Late Show donated 470,000 euro last week.
The tally now exceeds 694,000 euros.
The star of The Banshees Of Inisherin and The Penguin said after the pair crossed the finish line at Upper Mount Street just before 1pm: “I have known Emma for many years and she epitomises bravery, she is what courage and pure determination are all about.
“That run was nothing compared to the pain she is forced to endure every single day, even though she doesn’t show it.
“It was an honour to see her waiting for me with 4km to go, each of those representing a decade of her life, and to do the final stretch together. I’ll never forget it.”
Fogarty said she was determined to celebrate her 40th birthday in June in dramatic fashion because others with her form of EB rarely live beyond 35.
“This was a dream come true for me and I want to thank Colin, who has been the most supportive, generous and loyal friend I could wish for,” she said.
“He has always shown his compassion and empathy for people living with EB and is a true champion in my eyes.
“Running a marathon is never easy but once he committed to it there was no going back, he is a man of his word.”
Fogarty lives with the most severe form of EB and revealed earlier this year her parents were told she would not live a week beyond birth.
The genetic condition is caused by a lack of proteins between the skin layers, meaning even the mildest touch can cause devastatingly painful blisters, which must be bandaged, causing more extreme pain.
Some 80% of her body is covered in layers of bandages to prevent wound infection.
“The doctors said it would be better for me not to make it because my life would be so hard,” Fogarty said.
“No one expected me to survive for this long – because people with my type of EB almost never do – but I’ve always been encouraged to be a fighter.
“Reaching 40 shouldn’t be a miracle, but right now, it is.”
Fogarty has also had two battles with cancer.
Funds raised during the Run To 40 campaign will be used to fuel pioneering research into EB in Ireland.
Donations can still be made at debra.ie/runto40 or by calling 01-902 393.
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