Dublin mum’s daring Croke Park abseil for daughter

This is the heart-stopping moment a mum with a fear of heights abseils from the roof of Croke Park in tribute to her daughter, who battles a rare skin disease https://we.tl/t-LCGSpyVStL

Brave Rachel Connors took on the challenge to raise funds for Debra, the national charity which supports 12-year-old schoolgirl Casey and up to 300 others living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) in Ireland.

The Dublin mum-of-two and her sister Samantha (pictured above), cheered on by relatives and friends, also took the 150ft plunge to raise awareness of the extremely painful, genetic skin condition.

“We were so nervous beforehand, we both felt sick, but we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones and remembered why we were doing it,” said Samantha, from Clondalkin.

“It was a challenge for us to step off the edge but Casey faces challenges every day and she gets through it.”

The siblings’ abseil from GAA HQ on Thursday (Mar28) has so far raised more than €2,500 and their fundraising link remains open until April 28 at: www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/Rachel-Samantha2

Every day, Casey battles the most severe form of EB and needs painful bandaging several times a week to cover blisters which erupt on her skin, 70% of which is covered in open wounds.

“Sometimes she goes through a down week and things can get very hard for her,” said Liffey Valley-based Rachel, who is also mum to Jayden, 14.

“But then she’s back, and one day, hopefully, we can tell her there will be a cure but until then, we want her to do as much as she can to be like other children.”

Find out more about EB at debra.ie.