A truly great cause for a brave Irish girl.
Irish and Scottish fans will be on different sides of the footballing divide, this weekend, as the two nations go head-to-head in a Euro 2016 Qualifier at the Aviva Stadium.
However, we were heartened to hear about a Scottish football fan who decided to undertake the challenge of a lifetime on his way to Dublin for the game.
John Bell set off from Glasgow, on June 3, to Wick, in the Scottish Highlands. The following day, he embarked on a cycling odyssey to raise much needed funds for the care and treatment of a four-year-old Irish girl, Isabella Villena.
Isabella – Izzy to her mum, Sam, and dad, Francisco – was born with Aicardi Syndrome. The brain disorder, which only affects girls, has a severe impact. Isabella is blind and is unable to walk.
Francisco Villena, her father, was born in Majorca, raised in Scotland and has been living in Ireland since 1997. He married Sam a decade ago and they have two children together – Izzy has an older brother. John Bell, he tells us, is his cousin and a man he had not heard from for years until Facebook brought them together.
He says, ‘We hadn’t seen each other in 20 years but he got in touch at the start of the year. Once he learned about Izzy, he decided he wanted to do something.
‘The costs of caring for Izzy, and the equipment she needs, is very expensive. We get some nursing support through the Jack and Jill Foundation and Laura Lynn, which we are extremely grateful for, but the costs add up. She will need hoists and specialist equipment, for example, as she gets older.’
Scans of Francisco’s wife, during childbirth, showed no signs of Izzy’s condition. She was offered oxygen, soon after her birth, but the Villenas’ believed their daughter was bonny and healthy. A nurse on duty that night thought her head was a little larger than normal. Further checks and tests were carried out and the syndrome was confirmed.
Francisco says, ‘My wife had to give up work and become Izzy’s full-time carer. It hits you hard in the beginning but it is remarkable how you just cope with things and move on.
‘Izzy is four years old now. If a stranger was to walk in to our house right now, they may view her as non-responsive. Her mum knows her so well. She can tell whether she is happy, sad, uncomfortable and so much more. They have a real connection.’
Fancisco was blown away that his cousin was undertaking the cycling challenge. John admits he ‘is not in the Chris Hoy category of cycling’ but his determination has seen him make it through eight days. He should complete the final leg of the journey later this [Friday] evening.
Francisco says, ‘He found it tough and ended up doing more than 500 miles. He is a guy that went from zero fitness to cycling more than 500 miles in just over a week. I say cycling, but there were times when he had to get off the bike and walk – he was facing into 50mph winds and had to push it for 20 miles.’
As a small token of the families’ appreciation, Francisco sourced a match ticket so John could cheer on the Scots. As for Francisco, he admits that he will also be cheering for Gordon Strachan’s men despite his 18 years living in Ireland.
*For more on Izzy’s story, or to make a donation, click here. You can also tweet your support to @500MilesBikeRun
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