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Paula Walsh will be helping to raise money for Ataxia Ireland over the next few weeks.
ONE Tralee woman is going all out to help raise awareness of an illness, which has personally affected her own life, but which is not very well known amongst the general public.
Paula Walsh, originally from the Connolly Park area, will be holding a coffee and cake morning from 10.30am-12.30pm on Wednesday August 12 in the ‘House’ restaurant with all the money raised from the morning being donated towards Ataxia Ireland (click here for more information).
As if this act of generosity wasn’t enough, Paula will then be taking part in a charity skydive event in Longford on August 22 in association with Skydive 4 Charity, with the money raised again going towards Ataxia Ireland.
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“It [Ataxia] is personal to me. The coffee morning is to help raise funds for it, but more to raise awareness of it. For me, that’s paramount, that’s my main objective – to raise the profile of Ataxia,” said Paula when speaking to TraleeToday.ie on Thursday.
It is a genetic and progressive disorder of the central nervous system that usually affects children between 6-16 years of age, but which can sometimes strike older than this. Symptoms include clumsiness, difficulties with balance, lack of co-ordination and, in time, a slurring of speech.
The condition can lead to extreme difficulty in performing the normal simple activities of living, with most sufferers confined to a wheelchair by their late teens and early twenties.
“My sister Eileen had M.S and she died in October 2013. She would have also had Ataxia because of her M.S. I have a friend who suffers from it too and he would have been diagnosed when he was ten years of age,” she continued.
“I’d always wanted to do a skydive as well, but because I studied social care, something I’ve always been passionate about is helping others. I knew that I would be doing some good for others by raising awareness and raising some much needed funds for those affected by it and their families,” she said.
Anyone looking to help Paula raise money and awareness for Ataxia can do so by either heading down to the coffee and cake morning in ‘House’ next Wednesday morning, or by heading over to her skydiving sponsorship page HERE and making a donation.
Just insert the name ‘Paula Walsh Ataxia Ireland’ into the ‘Name of Person (fundraiser)’: section and donate the amount you wish, with any donation at all being welcomed.
