55-year-old Dublin mum running 19th Women’s Mini Marathon for charity that helps daughter with rare condition

A brave Dublin mother will participate in her 19th Women’s Mini Marathon in support of a charity that assisted her daughter with a rare disease.

The 55-year-old Liz Collins will participate in the 10k race to raise money for the national organisation that supports her daughter’s fight against a terrible skin condition.

Claudia Scanlon, a patient with a severe type of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a hereditary skin condition also known as butterfly skin, has open wounds covering 80% of her body.

Liz will run the mini- marathon in support of DEBRA Ireland, an organisation that helps EB patients and their families. “You put on your t-shirt with pride, with the patient in your heart.

“I was hooked after my first run and I saw it as a case of women empowering women, it was amazing. When DEBRA was a very small charity, the Mini Marathon was one of the things we did and I watched it go from one other lady on the 10k to a couple of years ago, watching a sea of blue (DEBRA) t-shirts and that indicated the awareness being created.”

Liz has made an appeal for donations to the organisation, promising Claudia and DEBRA that she will run the June bank holiday mini-marathon every year to raise money. Even during the Covid-19 shutdown in 2020 and 2021, she ran by herself at Phoenix Park.

She said: “I’ll always have a passion for it, it’s my favourite event. I think that when women get together, they have the ability to move mountains and the camaraderie is fantastic.”

Liz spoke proudly about her daughter who will be finishing her make-up artistry course at Blackrock this June. She said: “College has been tough, she wants to get out and like everyone else, work and earn and have workmates. She has hit every milestone in her life so far, this is going to be tough and I have to believe there will be someone out there who will take a chance on her and give her an opportunity.

“If the right job came along for her, she would be such an asset and a bonus to anyone’s company.”

This year’s event will be conducted on June 4 through the streets of Dublin.

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