Rosemount men raise almost €4k for Alzheimer's charity following skydive
Five young men from Rosemount have raised over €3,500 for Alzheimer's Society of Ireland after deciding to complete a skydive for the charity recently.
Ben O'Brien, Adam O'Brien, Plunkett Maxwell, Ciarán Maxwell and Liam Maxwell, all took the plunge and skydived on Sunday last at the Irish Parachute Club in Clonbullogue.
The three Maxwell brothers had two grandparents, the late Oliver and Tess Claffey, with Alzheimer's disease.
Plunkett said: “Both of our grandparents on my Mam's side had Alzheimer’s in their final years which was tough on the family. With seeing the direct impact it could have on someone we thought it would be nice to give back as Alzheimer’s Ireland were very supportive when we were in the situation.
He added that he was “delighted” and “shocked” with the support for the fundraiser to date. “It’s great to see people helping out and it really is a huge boost to be able to give this money to a good cause.”
Ben added that Alzheimer's was something that he felt affected everyone in some form. “I think a lot of families have somebody or had somebody that has suffered from it and you see when you're with them, you see how much care goes into it and how heartbreaking it actually is.”
Ahead of the skydive, Ben was nervous as he explained that he was “absolutely terrified” of heights.
Speaking about the impact of Alzheimer's Society of Ireland, Ben said that he could see the constant care and attention that was needed to look after those with the disease. He hopes to raise awareness of the disease and its existence in nursing homes around Ireland. “I have a few friends that work in nursing homes and they're telling me that they paint the rooms bright colours to stimulate the mind for the people that have Alzheimer's in there.”
The group had been talking about undertaking a fundraiser for some time but finally decided to undertake the skydive for charity when Liam turned 21 to mark the occasion.
Ben added that they've had a good reaction and good support for the fundraiser from the local community and he said that the GoFundMe “really skyrocketed” after Rosemount GAA Club shared a post about the fundraiser on social media.
Alzheimer's Disease is the most common cause of dementia, a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behaviour and social skills.
The GoFundMe was set up about three weeks ago and has raised €3,731 to date, majorly surpassing its initial target of €3k. To donate to the fundraiser visit www.gofundme.com/f/5dcauv-skydive.