Farrell got emotional as he completed the Dublin City Marathon with close friend Emma Fogarty, in a bid to raise money for people with her rare genetic skin condition.
Colin Farrell couldn’t help but get emotional as he completed the Irish Life Dublin Marathon over the weekend, alongside longtime friend, Emma Fogarty.
The Penguin actor ran the last four kilometers — or roughly 2 and a half miles — with Fogarty, who is Ireland’s longest survivor with the genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB), by pushing her in her wheelchair across the finish line Sunday to raise money for people with the condition.
Born with no skin on her left foot and right arm, Fogarty experiences excruciating blisters from even the slightest touch to her skin — a condition also known as butterfly skin.
Farrell all but broke down as he completed the run, hailing Fogarty for demonstrating “what courage is all about.” He said his crowning achievement was having Fogarty join him for the final stretch, as he pushed her wheelchair.
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Having recently reached her 40th birthday — a milestone she thought she might never reach given her condition — each of the final kilometers they ran together represented a decade of Fogarty’s life.
Their Run To 40 campaign to raise funds for Debra, the national charity supporting people living with EB, initially had a 400,000-euro ($432,500) target but they now aim to achieve a million euro ($1.8 million) after viewers of the Late Late Show donated 470,000 ($508,000) euro last week.
The fundraiser has raked in more than 694,000 euros ($750,000), with the funds raised used to fuel research into EB in Ireland.
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The Banshees Of Inisherin star gushed over Fogarty after the pair crossed the finish line, with Farrell completing the race in roughly four hours.
“I have known Emma for many years and she epitomizes bravery, she is what courage and pure determination are all about,” he said per The Daily Mail. “That run was nothing compared to the pain she is forced to endure every single day, even though she doesn’t show it.”
“It was an honor to see her waiting for me with 4km to go, each of those representing a decade of her life, and to do the final stretch together. I’ll never forget it,” Farrell added.
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Fogarty, meanwhile, said she was determined to celebrate her 40th birthday with a bang, because others with her form of EB rarely live beyond 35.
“This was a dream come true for me and I want to thank Colin, who has been the most supportive, generous and loyal friend I could wish for,” she said. “He has always shown his compassion and empathy for people living with EB and is a true champion in my eyes.”
Fogarty added, “Running a marathon is never easy but once he committed to it there was no going back, he is a man of his word.”
Per the Mayo Clinic, Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a general term used to describe a group of rare, inherited disorders that cause the skin to become very fragile. It affects around one in every 50,000 people worldwide, and around 40 per cent of sufferers do not survive the first year — with many not living past the age of five.
Epidermolysis bullosa is inherited, and it usually shows up in infants or young children. Some people don’t develop symptoms until they’re teens or young adults.
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There is no cure, but mild forms may improve with age. Treatment focuses on caring for blisters and preventing new ones.
Fogarty lives with the most severe form of EB, and revealed earlier this year her parents were told she would not live a week beyond birth.
“The doctors said it would be better for me not to make it because my life would be so hard,” Fogarty said, per the outlet. “No one expected me to survive for this long — because people with my type of EB almost never do — but I’ve always been encouraged to be a fighter.”
“Reaching 40 shouldn’t be a miracle, but right now, it is,” she added.
