Sean Kavanagh
Cystic Fibrosis Association Of Ireland, Bray, Co Wicklow
Sean and his father did a sponsored tandem cycle from Bray to Cork (176 miles!) in aid of Cystic Fibrosis (CF), raising an incredible €28,767 in the process. Even more remarkably, Sean, who turned 10 years old when they embarked on the epic journey, has cystic fibrosis himself. Because he has been healthy so far, he wanted to give something back. He has a fantastic outlook on life and is so full of personality, living each day to its fullest and constantly having a smile on his face. He has to go for regular check-ups and take enzymes with everything he eats and never complains. He loves fun, sports and telling jokes. Sean also has incredibly positive, supportive parents, and together they all came up with the idea of he and his father doing a sponsored tandem cycle from Bray to Cork, where his granny is from. The CF Association were delighted and told the proud pair that their donation was the second highest single donation this year. As a result, the association invited Sean to come down to NUI Maynooth to say a few words to the participants of the annual sponsored cycle from Maynooth to Galway, where he convinced them to donate the proceeds to the CF Association! Sean and his father have shown incredible determination and tenacity to complete this epic bicycle journey despite the difficult weather conditions. Absolutely nothing was going to stop them from achieving this incredible goal. Cystic fibrosis is Ireland’s most common life-threatening inherited disease, with little government assistance, so Sean is delighted that the money he has raised is going towards a new 4 bed CF unit in Crumlin Children’s Hospital.
When asked about his volunteering experiences, Sean said, “Life is a cycle, cycle for life.”
Photograph by Maureen McDonnell
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