Son takes on Ironman challenge for father living with MND

On October 23^rd, Jack Murphy (20) is set to compete in the IRONMAN Portugal – Cascais in order to raise money for MND Scotland.

Consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run, Jack is taking on the 140.6-mile (226.3 kilometres) challenge for those in Scotland living with motor neurone disease (MND) such as his father, Brian Murphy, who was diagnosed with the terminal illness in February 2019.

Prior to training for the event, Jack admits having never swum or cycled for any significant distance or running further than 10k, but as can be seen by the regular updates on his Just Giving page, Jack has been training hard to ensure the event is a complete success.

So far Jack has raised a total of almost six thousand pounds and has already surpassed his initial five-thousand-pound goal.

Speaking on his father’s experience, Jack said: “I have witnessed first-hand how this horrific disease has gradually debilitated him.

“At first, he was walking with a limp, which progressed on to having to use a walker and then a wheelchair. Now he is unable to dress himself, get out of bed without help, get anything to eat or go to the toilet on his own. This is something that no one should have to go through.”

The money that Jack has raised will help to fund vital services that people diagnosed with MND in Scotland rely on.

Jack added: “Their services are vital to improving the quality of life of people affected by MND and include one-to-one counselling which helps people affected by MND cope with the emotional impact of MND; support groups throughout Scotland to bring together people who have been affected by MND to chat and share advice; and financial support grants to pay for essential equipment to help someone live as full a life as possible or enable a family to have a last holiday together.” 

Iain McWhirter, Head of Fundraising at MND Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic to see Jack taking on this incredible challenge to help raise money that will help to change lives and power research. Without people like Jack, our work would be impossible. Thank you, Jack.”

You can donate to Jack’s fundraiser and see the fantastic effort already put into his training by visiting his Just Giving page. To find other ways that you can help us fight against MND, please click here.