This event is being completed by Barry Curran, Steve Taylor, Richard McGreevy & Mark Curran. Please read Barry's story below!

On Monday 4 October 2010, Barry Curran was working in Speke, near Liverpool and received a call from his wife Catherine to say that his 4 week old boy Callum had been rushed to hospital with suspected meningitis.

Barry had the agonising journey of getting from Speke to the Paediatric Ward in Daisy Hill Hospital Newry, Northern Ireland to be by Callum's bedside. After a journey that seemed to take an eternity, Barry arrived at the hospital and he and his wife Catherine were given the news that Callum did have meningitis and that he was a very sick little boy.

After a night when he was closely observed, and with the help of the brilliant doctors and nurses, Callum began to respond to the drugs, and he started his road to recovery. 

He was diagnosed with Strep B meningitis. Group B Streptococcus is just one of a number of bacteria which normally live in our bodies and carrying it is perfectly normal. This is the most common cause of severe infection in newborn babies in the UK. Pregnant women can transmit this to their newborns at birth. Catherine had been diagnosed with Strep B at 20 weeks of her pregnancy. While she was treated with antibiotics and IV fluids during labour, Callum unfortunately still contracted the ‘late-onset’ Group B Streptococcus infection called meningitis.

If it had not of been for the quick reaction of the A&E doctors and nurses we may have been writing something different today. 

Callum has now made a full recovery, and to support the amazing work the doctors and nurses did at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry Barry will be recreating the Mercy to Newry Dash from that agonising day, although this time he will be running it. Accompanied by Steve Taylor, Mark Curran and Richard McGreevy, the intrepid runners will complete the following itinery:

22 September 2011

Run from Speke to Birkenhead docks – 12 miles

Overnight ferry to Belfast

23rd September 2011

Run from Belfast docks to Dromore , Northern Ireland  - 14 miles

24th September 2011

Run from Dromore  to Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry – 26 miles

Total – 54 miles

Current Sponsors of the event include: UK Outdoor Adventure Ltd

“ UK Outdoor Adventure Ltd are a specialist outdoor activity provider that cater for all ages and abilities from beginner to advanced in a huge range of outdoor activities UK wide. We are extremely pleased and proud to be sponsoring Barry and the other members of the running team with this fantastic cause, and wish them the very best of luck from all the staff at www.ukoutdooradventure.com “

 and

‘The Ship and Mitre’ is known to many as Merseyside's Premier Real Ale pub and was Liverpool & District CAMRA Pub Of The Year in 2009.  

http://www.theshipandmitre.com/

 

 

 Please sponsor Barry, Steve, Mark and Richard in this amazing run as they raise money for Meningitis Research Foundation and Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry so that we can help fight this devastating disease in the future. Barry had an awareness of this terrible disease and the money raised through this event will contribute towards this awareness for other mothers and fathers.

 Thanks you for your support.

Barry, Catherine, Callum & the Mercy to Newry Dash running team.

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