Colin Farrell triumphantly pushed pal Emma Fogarty over the Dublin Marathon finish line recently and declared: “She is what courage is all about.”
The Hollywood A-lister was among 22,500 athletes who battled through the pain barrier to finish the 42km run in a time of 4:06:45.
But he said his crowning achievement was running with Laois woman Emma, 40, the longest-surviving Irish woman with agonising skin condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
Their ‘Run to 40’, with Emma joining the star for the last 4km from Nutley Lane, initially had a €400,000 target to raise vital funds for Debra, the national charity supporting people living with the incurable disease.
But the pair now aim to hit €1million after €470,000 was donated by Late Late Show viewers last week.
The tally now exceeds €698,000 after further donations flooded in to a phoneline and online at debra.ie/runto40.
The Banshees of Inisherin and The Penguin star signed up for the run earlier this year to celebrate the Abbeyleix woman’s 40th birthday – a milestone she was never expected to reach.
“I have known Emma for many years and she epitomises bravery, she is what courage and pure determination are all about,” said Farrell, 48, after the pair crossed the finish line at Upper Mount Street.
“That run was nothing compared to the pain she is forced to endure every single day, even though she doesn’t show it.
“It was an honour to see her waiting for me with 4km to go, each of those representing a decade of her life, and to do the final stretch together. I’ll never forget it.”
Emma said she was determined to celebrate her 40th birthday in June in dramatic fashion – because those with her form of EB rarely live beyond 35.
“This was a dream come true for me and I want to thank Colin, who has been the most supportive, generous and loyal friend I could wish for,” she said.
“He has always shown his compassion and empathy for people living with EB and is true champion in my eyes.
“Running a marathon is never easy but once he committed to it there was no going back, he is a man of his word.”
She lives with the most severe form of EB and revealed earlier this year how her parents were told she would not live a week beyond birth.
The genetic condition is caused by a lack of proteins between the skin layers, meaning even the mildest touch can cause devastatingly painful blisters, which must be bandaged, causing more extreme pain.
A total of 80% of Emma’s body is covered in layers of bandages, needed to prevent wound infection.
“The doctors said it would be better for me not to make it, because my life would be so hard,” she said.
“No one expected me to survive for this long – because people with my type of EB almost never do – but I’ve always been encouraged to be a fighter.
“Reaching 40 shouldn’t be a miracle, but right now, it is.”
She also survived two battles with cancer.
Funds raised during the Run to 40 campaign will be used to fuel pioneering research which could transform the future for everyone with EB in Ireland.
There is still time to make a donation at debra.ie/runto40 or call 01-902 3938.
Pictured: Hollywood star Colin Farrell meets friend Emma Fogarty 4km from the finish line of today’s Irish Life Dublin Marathon, completing a mammoth fundraising drive for Debra, the national charity supporting the 300 people living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) in Ireland. Donations can still be made at debra.ie/runto40 or by calling 01-902 3938. Picture: Alejandra Livschitz/Debra.
