Bravery of Downpatrick schoolgirl is inspiration for Jimmy’s 10k competitors

Bravery of Downpatrick schoolgirl is inspiration for Jimmy’s 10k competitors

14 March 2012

A BRAVE young schoolgirl has prompted two Downpatrick woman to take to the roads for charity.

Lisa Toman and Carol Morgan will run the Jimmy’s 10k race on Sunday after hearing of the bravery of young Julie -Ann Tumelty, who was recently awarded a Pupil of Courage award at St. Mary’s High School.

Julie-Ann has an inoperable brain tumour but because there is no MRI scanner at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, it was six months before her condition could be diagnosed.

Lisa and Carol have decided to run the Jimmy’s 10k to raise money towards the £2m cost of providing a scanner at the hospital, and have already raised over £1,000.

The pair are avid runners and have completed in 5k runs before but this is a new challenge for them. Lisa said they discussed the idea of running Jimmy’s 10k around Christmas and decided that with the support of Julie-Ann’s family, who they are very close to, that they would do it for this particular cause.

“Carol and I discussed it over Christmas and thought if were going to do it we might as well do it for a good cause,” she said.

Since January the women have been taking to the roads two or three nights a week slowly building themselves up to the 10k task ahead of them, which they plan to be ready for on Sunday.

When asked about the support they have received to date, Lisa was surprised at the response they have had. “We didn’t realise how generous everyone would be, but suppose an appeal like this has an effect on everyone in one way or another,” she said.

If anyone is interested in donating to the cause should visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MRIScannerAppeal