WEST Cork woman Maura Prendergast failed every part of a blood test administered at the end of November and despite specialists saying she needed to go on medication immediately, she decided to ‘walk it off’ instead.
One line of her results alone showed that Maura, who is originally an O’Driscoll from Shepperton in Castlehaven, had a disastrous blood sugar reading of 52 milligrams per decilitre.
The level is considered severely hypoglycemic (low), requiring immediate medical treatment.
That, combined with other test results which showed she was displaying signs of kidney and liver malfunction, alarmed the medical specialists who said her wish to reverse these conditions naturally was ‘impossible.’
The manner in which Maura returned to health and fitness, as well as a three-and-a-half-stone weight loss, is unusual: she devised a virtual map between her home in Dublin and the Mizen Head and over 5km increments walked ‘there and back again’ in the comfort and security of her own neighbourhood.
Maura said her husband Frank effectively became her trainer because rain, hail or shine he would bundle her out the door.
Within 16 weeks, Maura submitted herself to a follow-up blood test, which she passed with flying colours.
She had the added satisfaction of a follow-up conversation with her consultant who said he had not seen a reversal, across such a broad range of tests, done before.
Maura’s way of giving thanks is, at the age of 69, to do her first ever women’s mini-marathon on June 1st in Dublin, and to raise funds for the Cope Foundation in Skibbereen.
Whatever is raised through the fundraising will be used to purchase a specially adapted vehicle for use by the Cope Foundation, because the one they have is an old 2004 model.
Maura said she also wants to get the message across that we, as a nation, have stopped walking, leaving a lot of us obese.
‘We used to be a great nation of walkers but not anymore,’ said Maura, who admitted that when she started her training in the first week of December she struggled to do even a single kilometre.
‘I did an hour a day until I built up to 10km, which is how I know I will be able to do the VHI Women’s Mini-Marathon.’ she said.
The West Cork woman is, in fact, looking forward to it. ‘It was great to be able to get fit and healthy by walking 5km daily.
We have some of the best walking trails in the world, but it’s also possible to achieve the same results doing laps of a sports field,’ said Maura, whose iDonate fundraising campaign is currently at €6,255, just a little off her €10,000 target.
This remarkable lady told The Southern Star: ‘If there’s a shortfall, I will contribute that because I promised them 10k.’
