EUGENE O'LEARY
CYCLING
ACROSS AMERICA IN AID OF OUR LADY'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CRUMLIN
JUNE 21st.- AUGUST 10th. 2009
You will be able to follow my journey journal from the 21st. June to 10th. August 2009 by clicking here
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new
dream". --C.S. Lewis
My name is Eugene O'Leary. I am a 65 year old cyclist! ("The Pedaling
Pensioner!") My daughter, Helen was a patient of Our Lady's Children's
Hospital Crumlin until she was eighteen years old. She died one year after
leaving the care of the hospital (February 2002), and having her care
transferred to an adult hospital.
In order to show some appreciation for the wonderful work done by the
hospital in enabling my wife and I, together with her brothers and sisters
to enjoy the gift of having "an angel" in our family for nineteen
years, I started to do fundraising cycles for Our Lady's Children's Hospital
Crumlin, four years ago.
I have raised over 57,000 for the Children's Medical & Research
foundation which is the fundraising arm for both the Foundation and the
hospital, over the last four summers, by doing a series of 8 hour static
cycles (on a training frame) on Bank Holiday weekends, at the entrance
to the East Pier, Howth, Co. Dublin, in recognition of the wonderful care
that our daughter was given, while a patient of Our Lady's Children's
Hospital.
My ten-year old grandson (Dylan) has also been a patient of the hospital
and was up to recently, receiving chemotherapy treatment for non-malignant
but very aggressive bone tumours. He received wonderful care and has now
made a full recovery.
I have taken part in the hospitals overseas cycle challenges in Durban,
South Africa; Lake Balaton, Hungary; Flagstaff, Arizona and last year
in Niagara, Ontario. Each of these challenges entailed cycling a distance
of 100 kilometres (62 miles) a day for five days. I will now be taking
part in this years (2008) cycle challenge in Monterey, California from
5th. to 15th. September.
I recently completed a 150 mile fundraising cycle from Galway Docks to
Howth, Co. Dublin i.e. from the Atlantic Ocean to the Irish Sea in 12
hrs. 15 mins.
From Sunday June 21st to Monday August 10th. 2009 (50 days), I hope to
cycle across America and raise 250,000 in sponsorship for the Intensive
Care Unit of Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin.
Please sponsor a mile of my Cycle Across America by clicking on any of the dates below and then clicking on a mile of your choice for that day. You will then be taken to my donor page on Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin website where you can donate to my fundraising efforts for the hospital in memory of my late daughter Helen.
