Portlaoise teacher to run marathon in memory of mother-in-law

A PORTLAOISE woman is set to run a marathon this month in memory of her mother-in-law, who was a transplant recipient.

Fitness coach and primary school teacher Bríd McGill is taking on the challenge in memory of Josie McGill from Clareen, Offaly, who had hereditary kidney disease.

Bríd (40) will run the 26.2 mile Irish Life Dublin Marathon on Sunday, 25 October, just one day before the second anniversary of Josie’s death.

With every mile, Bríd will raise funds and awareness for the Irish Kidney Association (IKA).

A mother-of-two, Bríd (née Keegan) has been a well-known local fitness coach for 20 years and a primary school teacher. She is currently taking a year away from teaching to develop her passion for fitness through her successful Reformer Pilates business in Portlaoise, which she established more than a year ago and which now has a team of six.

Josie lived with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a hereditary condition that has affected several members of the McGill family. Bríd’s husband Dermot also has PKD, although it has not progressed to the point where he requires treatment, while two of Josie’s sisters also underwent kidney transplants.

PKD does not affect everyone who has a family history of the condition. It often develops in adulthood and causes cysts to form on the kidneys, which can affect kidney function over time.

Dermot is monitored twice a year by nephrologist Dr Eoin Bergin at Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore and takes particular care of his health through diet, exercise and lifestyle.

Josie attended dialysis treatment at the Tullamore hospital three times a week for nearly 10 years, before receiving a kidney transplant in 2016. The transplant was a great success and gave her eight more years with her family, including precious time with her two adored grandchildren, Frankie and Jodie.

Bríd says the family remain hugely grateful for those extra years, made possible by a deceased donor.

She said: “We’re very grateful for the transplant Josie received and the extra years it gave her with her family. After all the years she spent travelling to hospital for dialysis treatment, she never complained. She was an inspiration to all of us.” 

Unfortunately, Josie’s health deteriorated during the year before her death. Although her transplant kidney continued to function, she developed a number of other health issues and eventually died from sepsis, aged 72.

Bríd said: “She was an advocate of the IKA and would be very happy to know that funds were being raised for them.

“The IKA supports kidney patients and families like ours, and the work they do is incredibly important, particularly for families living with hereditary kidney disease.

“As PKD is a hereditary condition, other members of our extended family may develop end-stage kidney failure, so I’m very happy to be running the marathon for the association.” 

As a way of giving back, the McGill family has supported the IKA for many years. In 2019, Bríd, Dermot, their two children and Dermot’s cousins Grace and Trish Harrington from Belmont, Offaly, took part in the IKA’s Run for a Life, a family fun run.

The event was particularly significant for the family as Grace and Trish’s mother, Veronica, also had PKD and had passed away just a few months before the race, aged 64.

Bríd is balancing family life, her growing business and marathon training as she prepares for her second Dublin Marathon, which will be far more than just a personal sporting challenge.

She said: “I want to honour Josie’s memory, support the IKA and raise awareness of PKD and the impact of organ donation.” The busy mum is also running a special competition as part of her fundraising campaign. Every €5 donated to her marathon fundraiser gives the donor one entry into a draw, to win a four-class Reformer Pilates pass worth €200 for themselves and a friend.

People can support the fundraiser and enter the Reformer Pilates competition on Bríd’s fundraising page, on the Eventmaster give2you website at: www.eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/BM21114908