Andrew Quinn’s mother Geraldine was diagnosed with ME when he was six years old; he’s now 29.
“I know all too well what it’s like to watch someone close to you go through ME,” he says. “It’s so frustrating because so little is known about the illness and when my mother is sick there’s very little I can do to make things better – it leaves me feeling utterly useless.”
Andrew is aware of the challenges and obstacles faced by many ME sufferers and, as a result, he decided to try and raise awareness and much needed funds for the ME Association by enrolling on a Christmas Day swim earlier this month.
“I set myself a target of £500 a few days ago and the donations have been flooding in,” he says happily.
“There are only a few days to go and I am so close to hitting my target. I thought I was being ambitious by setting the target so high but hopefully I’ll get past £500 before Christmas morning.
“The swim is happening on a small beach in Buncrana in Donegal. If you hear a grown man screaming like a little girl at 11.00am on Christmas morning, it’s more than likely me diving into the freezing cold north Atlantic Sea,” he says laughing.
If you would like to make a donation, please visit Andrew’s JustGiving page by logging on to www.justgiving.com/AndrewQuinnChristmasDaySwim