ON YER BIKE… Aidan Ferguson and Tony Cummins
A BRAVE Belleek man has decided to take the deadly scourge of Multiple Sclerosis head-on…by getting on his bike!
When 39-year-old Aidan Ferguson was diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 2009, he could have been heading towards ‘a dark place’.
He had two choices. The Belleek Pottery employee could either sit back and surrender, or fight back and take control of his life.
And even though Aidan has to inject himself daily for his medical condition, he is about to take on a remarkable challenge with Tony Cummins and Gerard Cleary, two friends from Ballyshannon, on June 20-21.
“We are going to cycle non-stop from Mizen Head to Malin Head (from Cork to Donegal) which is a distance of 650km and it is all for the Fermanagh and Donegal branches of Multiple Sclerosis.
“I was diagnosed in 2009 and it is very hard news to get, but in 2010 I decided to do something about it after doing a lot of Internet research.
“It would be very easy to sit back in sorrow but my message to people is to fight back and find out your inner strengths to cope with the disease.
“There is a lot of doubt and negativity in your life, so you need to focus on the positives.
“I had done a bit of running with my father when I was younger so I decided to take up cycling.
“Cycling is not as severe on the body as road running.
Four years on, and Aidan is cycling 100 miles per day as part of his training programme with Gerry Cleary and Tony Cummins from Ballyshannon.
The three friends cycle eight hours on a Saturday and shorter spins throughout the week.
It has been a truly remarkable journey for Aidan who took part in a Triathlon two years ago shortly after learning to swim at the ripe old age of 37.
He learned to swim just six weeks before the event.
“Tony Cummins has been a great help to me as he taught me to swim two years ago and I managed to finish the Triathlon and was well placed.
“I couldn’t have asked for two better companions than Tony and Gerry as they really keep me going.
“ Exercise and good diet are a very big part of my life but the cycling has given me a real focus.
“You get a great buzz and only those who cycle can really understand what it is all about.
Aidan gets great help from Gerry and Tony and the trio are taking part in a Lap the Lake around Lough Melvin which starts at Rusheen, Garrison, on Saturday at 11 am.
Aidan, Tony and Gerry will be doing ten laps around the lake and will be in the saddle for around 14 hours as part of a number of pre-Mizen-Malin events to raise funds.
Any member of the public who wants to take part can do a few laps and donate £10/E10 for a very worthy cause.
Refreshments will also be served.
For Aidan the Mizen/Malin midsummer challenge is both exciting and daunting.
“It will ask a lot of questions. We hope to complete the trip in 24 hours. But if you get a north east wing in your face it could add a few hours to the trip.
“A south west wind at our backs would be just ideal.”
The three amigos hope to raise E15,000-E20,000 for MS but that is not what motivates the brave Belleek man.
“If only one person who is suffering from MS picks up the phone and wants to talk to me about this illness I will be so happy.
“And if my story helps even one person to fight back, that to me would make it all really worthwhile.
And when asked what life holds for him after the Mizen/Malin challenge, Aidan was quite emphatic.
“I am going to take up cycle racing!”
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