A DUBLIN man who has been on crutches for 13 years is planning to walk from his home to the Hill of Tara in Meath to raise money for surgery which he hopes will enable him to walk again.
Diarmuid Brannick (32) will attempt to make the 100km round trip on crutches over three days. He has been crippled with a rare progressive, rheumatic condition known as Ankylosing Spondylitis since he was 17. By the time he was 19 it had destroyed his hip joints and led them to fuse to his pelvis, leaving him in constant pain and unable to walk without crutches.
He preferred not to have surgery when he was younger, instead pursuing natural healing. He has, however, concluded surgery is the best option for him. Having researched widely, he is to be operated on by an India-based surgeon, Dr Vijay Bose at the Asian Regional Centre for Hip Resurfacing in Chennai. “The first hip replacement is scheduled for October 20th and the second for the 24th,” Mr Brannick said yesterday. He then faces five months of intensive rehabilitation. He says he needs almost €30,000 for the surgery and the rehabilitation costs, and has so far raised €3,500. Anyone interested in supporting Mr Brannick can find out more at www.walkingfilm.com.
