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Irish adventurer tackling four of Ireland's highest peaks - on crutches

Irish adventurer Nikki Bradley is aiming to become the first person ever to complete the Four Pea...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.43 10 Jul 2018


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Irish adventurer tackling four...

Irish adventurer tackling four of Ireland's highest peaks - on crutches

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.43 10 Jul 2018


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Irish adventurer Nikki Bradley is aiming to become the first person ever to complete the Four Peaks Challenge on crutches.

Ms Bradley was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma - a rare form a bone cancer - in her teens and received a second hip replacement when she was just 26-years-old.

However, after being told by doctors that she would spend the rest of her life on crutches, she decided it was time to embrace her circumstances and start to 'take my life back.'

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She set up the awareness campaign ‘Fighting Fit For Ewing’s’ in 2013 and has been setting physical challenges  for herself ever since.

Having already scaled the Sólheimajökull glacier in Iceland, completed a 24km wintertime special forces march in Wales and come within one second of a Guinness World Record in the Netherlands, she has spent the past year training for her biggest challenge yet.

On July 21st, the Donegal native will gather her crutches and climb four of Ireland's highest peaks - Carrauntoohil, Croagh Patrick, Slieve Donard and Mount Errigal - all in the space of less than 24 hours.

It is all in aid of charity and you can donate to her campaign here.

"I am fairly confident when I say it will be the toughest thing I have ever done," she told Newstalk.

"I am quite nervous because I can't predict exactly what is going to happen; any number of things could go wrong on the day.

"I am in quite a lot of pain in general and that pain varies day-to-day, so I could wake up in the morning sore.

"If that happens it is going to be nightmare of a day but at the same time, I have to get on with it."

The adaptive adventurer has been in training for over a year now and aims to raise €50,000 for three amazing charities - the Irish Cancer Society, Action Cancer and the Ross Nugent Foundation.

The foundation was set up by Don and Sandra Nugent after their son Ross lost his battle with Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2010.

"That has been a brilliant motivator for me, even during training," she said.

"To make sure that I am ready to make this happen and for it to be a success."

Adventurer Nikki Bradley in training to become the first person to copmlete the Four Peaks Challenge on crutches

Although she is quick to point out that she does not view herself as a role model , she notes that if "people can see what I am doing and take something positive from that, then I am all for it."

"Thankfully now because of social media and because of the internet in general people can now follow other peoples journeys and set amazing goals for themselves," she said.

"I really hope that that is what happens with people when they see what I am doing because I am not an elite athlete that has been training all my life.

"I am a regular girl from Donegal who has just set various challenges along the way and has learned loads form it.

"When you break it down like that anybody can do it."

Ms Bradley will be the first crutch user ever to attempt the Four Peaks Challenge - and she will joined by internationally acclaimed mountaineer, Iain Miller.

You can make a donation to her campaign by visiting her GoFundMe page.


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