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2005 November 23 - Drumalee men's New York marathon success raises ?10,000 for children's charity

Declan Flood (28) & Declan Tighe (28) have raised €10,000 for national children’s charity, Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, by successfully completing the New York City Marathon earlier this month.

Declan Flood, from Billis, Cavan, completed in the race, his first ever marathon, in a time of 5 hours and 16 minutes, after being inspired to enter the raise funds for the charity which offered vital support when his cousin’s daughter was diagnosed with a liver disease.

Declan’s second cousin, Erin, was diagnosed with biliary atresia as a baby, a disease in which the bile ducts become progressively blocked, leading to irreversible liver damage.   Sadly, a corrective operation was unsuccessful and Erin underwent a liver transplant in June at nine months old.  Erin is now doing well and Declan was keen to ‘give something back’ to the charity.

Declan completed the challenge on 6th November with friend and fellow Drumalee GFC player, Declan Tighe from Cootehill Road, who completed in a time of 5 hours and 1 minute.  After the race the pair enjoyed a short holiday taking in the sites of both New York and Boston.

Declan Flood says, “It was a fantastic & fun experience and although the race was extremely hard going towards the end, raising such a fantastic amount for this important charity made the race, and all the training beforehand, worthwhile.” 

Catherine Arkley, chief executive of the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation said: "I’d like to congratulate both Declan’s for a great running effort, and for raising such a fantastic amount for CLDF.  Most people don't realise that two children a day are diagnosed with a liver disease in this country - that's greater than the incidence of childhood leukaemia. Each year we need to raise more money to fund new research projects, educate more healthcare professionals and support more families, so fundraising activity of this nature is crucial.”

For further information on the work of the Foundation, please visit www.childliverdisease.org or call 0044 121 212 3839 for a fundraising and information pack.

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For further information on this story please contact Rachel Markham,
Children’s Liver Disease Foundation on 0121 212 6012, e-mail: communications@childliverdisease.org

Note to editors:

The Children’s Liver Disease Foundation is a unique national charity that fights childhood liver diseases through funding pioneering research and educating healthcare professionals and the general public. Formed in 1980, it provides professional, emotional support to families affected and is the only organisation of its kind in the UK.