On the 1st of October 2019 Paul was diagnosed with mitochondrial myopathy disease. This has had a devastating effect on him and his family.

Paul has remained positive throughout this whole process with the help and support of his wife Linda, his family in Wexford, friends, college friends, Killarney Community Hospital, the staff of Kerry University Hospital, the Bons Secours Hospital in Tralee as well as the many community HSE staff. Paul and Linda have two young children, Harry who is fourteen and Sadie is nine who like most kids of their age are involved in the many sports and clubs in the local community. In 2022 a group of Paul's friends and college friends embarked on a project to make the family home more accessible for a person with such a diagnosis.

Paul was lucky enough to be a beneficiary of the Killarney Classic and Vintage Club fundraising draw in 2023 which was most welcome.

We are very excited to announce that the fundraising effort continues in 2024 with an exciting project - 'A Push for Paul'. This ambitous campaign will commence on April 21st 2024 with a sponsored wheelchair push from Drogheda to Killarney, arriving on Saturday April 27th with a very special evening of entertainment and fun. Along the way we will stop at Trim, Tullamore, Nenagh, Adare, and Castleisland. 'A Push for Paul' will be raising money for Paul and family and will also raise awareness for the work of the Irish Wheelchair Association and accessibility issues that wheelchair users encounter daily. More details to follow shortly.