A CELEBRITY fundraising event hosted by GAA pundit Marty Morrissey has been organised to benefit Adam Burke, a young player left paralysed after a stroke.
Adam, 21, from Co. Kildare, suffered the stroke during a match for the Two Mile House GAA club on July 20, 2016.
Over a year on, his right hand and arm remain paralysed while severe damage to his language and speech skills continues to pose a challenge.
“Imagine one minute you are in the fullness of your health playing a sport you love with teammates you grew up with,” a family spokesperson wrote on Adam’s official fundraising page.
“Then, two weeks later, you wake up in an ICU, paralysed throughout your right-hand side, lines and tubes coming out of everywhere, breathing with oxygen support, being fed through a tube and you are not able to speak.
"Adam Burke woke up in a living nightmare.”
After a number of months spent in a recuperation unit, Adam finally regained the ability to walk in spite of the severe nature of his illness.
But Adam still has a long way to go, and friends of the talented footballer have put together a massive fundraising campaign to help fund the extensive therapy to come.
A Celebrity GAA Panel will take place at Two Mile House GAA Club in Naas, Co. Kildare on Saturday, September 30 – with Marty Morrissey hosting guest legends Davy Fitzgerald, Joe Brolly, Michael Duignan and Tomás Ó Sé.
The panel will be proceeded by The Family Fun Run For Adam Burke, which will start at the clubhouse at 4pm – with 5km and 10km options available for runners of all abilities.
A barbecue and music performance will also take place to make sure Adam gets the high standard of physiotherapy, medicine and aids to improve the function in his right side.
Intensive Speech and Language Therapy is also required to help the 21-year-old participate more in everyday life.
Tickets for this month’s event in Naas cost just €25 and you can register here.
If you can’t make it along but still wish to help Adam, you can donate to his fund here.
