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“I’LL miss the beard, not the hair,” said Paul O’Sullivan before going under the clippers on Saturday as he had his locks and facial hair shorn for charity.
Paul, from Gort na Greine, Gallowsfield, was doing the event to raise funds for the A-T Society who help people who suffer from Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T)
His daughter Erin is a seven year old girl who suffers from the rare condition.
Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) affects only about 500 people worldwide. It combines the worst symptoms of muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, immune system disorder and sufferers have a 1,000 times greater chance of getting cancer.
“We’ve raised in the region of €4,000 so far, so it’s a lot more than we expected. We’ve had great support from people all over town and in Wicklow where Caroline, my wife, is from,” he said.
There was face-painting for the children before Paul sat down to lose the locks. Aoife McEllistrim of The Barber Shop in Ashe Street and the Manor West shopping centre then helped daughter Erin make the first cut before Paul’s other daughters, Louise and Megan had a go.
“I’m shocked at the moment, he looks like the man I married now,” said Paul’s wife, Caroline Cronin O’Sullivan after the headshave.
“We’ve had a fantastic day and there’s a great turnout here. I’m so proud of him and happy so many of our family and friends came here to support him. The support we’ve received over the past two months has been tremendous. It’s overwhelming the amount of people who want to know about the condition and want to help us out. But we’ve a long road ahead of us and hopefully one day they’ll find a cure,” said Caroline.
See video below to see Paul’s shave and further down for photos from the event…