CF mum is winning on all fronts

A few short months ago, a determined mother of two from Tuam could barely summon up enough breath to climb the stairs of her home – now she is busy in training for an ironman event in Barcelona early in October.

And it is one of many incredible challenges that have been undertaken by 48-year-old Caroline Heffernan from Tuam who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was 13 and has led a challenging life since then.

But the courageous CF campaigner has gone through the ups and downs of lung functionality throughout her life but is now all set for her biggest challenge yet.

Caroline has completed a half ironman with her close friends Dan and Norma O’Rourke from Tuam in Edinburgh while herself and Norma completed a tandem cycle from Malin Head to Mizen Head (630 kilometres over four days) all in aid of CF.

Then, last weekend she completed the ‘Square to Square’ challenge organised by Tuam Athletic Club when she jogged from Eyre Square to The Square in Tuam – a total of 33 kilometres.

“The preparations are going well,” Caroline told The Connacht Tribune but she had a very different attitude last January and April when she was incredibly ill. “With Cystic Fibrosis, life is often a case of two steps forward and one step back”.

But on each occasion she has bounced back and is looking to the challenge in Barcelona on October where she will be joined by her husband Francis and two children Jamie and Anna.

Caroline works as an advocate for Cystic Fibrosis and continually raises money to create awareness of the condition and has set up an on-line fundraising drive. “The people that support the cause are just fantastic,” she added.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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