‘You realise that being injured is so irrelevant in comparison to what these people are going through’

Great to see a professional rugby player taking time out from his game to give back.

Mick Kearney is the first to admit he had little idea about ataxia a few years back. Then, as often, unfortunately happens, the affliction hit close to home. Now, the Leinster Rugby star is preparing to take part in a cycle that will raise funds towards finding a cure, or treatment, for Friedreichs Ataxia as well as providing assistance to those living with genetic Ataxia The genetic neuromuscular disorder sees those affected progressively lose control of their body functions. In many cases, it will eventually lead to a loss of vision, hearing, speech. There are also associated heart complications. Kearney comments:

"It is quite aggressive, the degeneration, between the ages of five and 15. Young people will go a few balance issues to maybe having a cane then, when they get to their early 20s, being fully resigned to a wheelchair. "It has a massive affect on families around Ireland, and around the world."

Kearney's cousin, Barry Rice, was diagnosed with late onset Friedreich's Ataxia in January 2013. The 35-year-old Dubliner, who is married with two young children, needs a wheelchair to get around yet describes himself as 'relatively healthy'.

"Barry will tell you himself that he is lucky. He can make very short journeys without a cane or wheelchair. He has had his house fitted out for his changing needs. "It affects his balance, coordination, speech. In terms of day-to-day life, especially with the more extreme cases, you are completely reliant on a lot of support." 

https://twitter.com/leinsterrugby/status/709469851719475200 For the former Connacht second row, getting involved with the charity changed his out-look on life.

"I was struggling with an injury myself, at the time I came on-board. To go to that environment, you suddenly realise that having an injury or being out for a number of months is so irrelevant in comparison to what these people are going through day to day.   "They are going through it with a smile on their face as well. It's a massive eye-opener."

Cycle Ataxia attracted around 200 participants in its first staging, in 2014. That number more than doubled last year and over 700 are expected for this June's staging. Kearney is encouraging anyone interested in getting involved to do so. *Mick Kearney was talking to SportsJOE as part of his awareness drive for this summer's Cycle Ataxia event. More info can be found @cycleataxia and here. https://vimeo.com/157823579