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Brave Seonaid’s marathon mission

Thursday, 29 May 2008

NORTHSIDE Amputee Seonaid Dunne has one of the most remarkable stories of all the women taking part in next Monday’s Women’s Mini Marathon.
Injured in a dreadful fire at the family home in Ayrfield Drive, Coolock, 11 years ago, Seonaid (30) had to have both her legs amputated as her distraught parents looked on and prayed she would survive.
A month after the fire, in which Seonaid initially believed she had only suffered minor face burns, she came around in hospital to face the stark reality that she would be spending the rest of her life without her real legs.
To make matters worse, the teenage Seonaid had a long and painful wait to return to her home, as it had been completely gutted in the fire.
But rather than let the tragedy hamper her everyday life any more than it should, upbeat Seonaid – a part time radio presenter on RTE Radio 1 - has found the strength to carry on as normal.
It’s not easy being a young amputee in Ireland, however, and finding that there was little or nowhere to turn to for help, Seonaid was part of a group who founded Amputee Disability Federation Ireland (ADFI).
“When you go through something as traumatic as having your legs amputated, you initially don’t take it all in,” Seonaid said.
“Your brain just can’t process all of that, but once I realised the gravity of it, the first thing I really wanted to do was talk to somebody who had been through something similar, so I could know what to expect or what to do.
“But there was no organisation there to help in this way, until a group of amputees including myself got together to form ADFI.”
Seonaid said ADFI is now there to offer the support to new amputees that was lacking when she most needed it herself.
“We go into hospitals and talk to people who have just had limbs amputated, in the hope that we can make their life better in some way and let them know what choices they have,” she said.
Seonaid, who will be taking part in the mini marathon in her wheelchair, normally gets about on a pair of prosthetic legs.
It will be the fourth time she has taken part in the event, after being pushed into it by her friends back in 2005.
“I could probably get through the mini marathon on the legs, but they are not in great shape at the moment,” she said.
“There are times when I do walk a bit of it but I feel it is better for me to start in the wheelchair to avoid being knocked over.”
All money raised by Seonaid from the mini marathon will go towards the work carried out by ADFI.
And whilst she is relying on the generosity of others to help in this cause, Seonaid has never forgotten the unbelievable support her family received from their neighbours in Coolock during their hour of need.
“It if wasn’t for all this support, I’m not sure if we would ever have been able to eventually move back into our home after the fire,” Seonaid said.
“But with everything I was going through at the time, I never really had the chance to properly thank all our neighbours, but I am thanking them now as I will never forget everything they did for us.”
If you would like to donate towards Seonaid’s participation in the mini marathon for Amputee Disability Federation Ireland, you can log on to the website www.amputee.ie.

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