It’s a wonderfully muddy afternoon in Kilruddery, as hundreds of superfit fools take part in the annual Hell & Back obstacle course designed to built stamina, character and knee injuries…
Watching from a safe distance is 5-year-old Luca Keogh – aka Super Luca – and his family. Older sister Freya is determined to join in the Hell & Back craziness next year, being somewhat fighting fit after two years training in Andrew Maher’s 360 Krav Maga martial arts school over in Kilcoole. Mum Sarah and dad David have “zero interest” in flinging themselves around the Kilruddery grounds for two hours, whilst youngest of the clan, Luca, has his heart set on getting his wheelchair up the 30-foot closing ramp.
Andrew and the gang have very kindly taken on the Hell & Back mudfest to help raise funds for this eternally-cheery chap. Just how cheery is made all the more remarkable when you consider what this kid has been through.
Luca has Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus as well as other related conditions including slit ventricle syndrome, cortical visual impairment, chiari malformation, hip dysplasia, club foot, tibial torsion, central sleep apnoea, sensory processing disorder and asthma. And this all started just hours after he was born by c-section back in February 2011. Since then, Luca has gone under the knife over 20 times, including 12 lifesaving brain surgeries.
Attending the First Step Therapy Centre in Limerick since November 2013, the good news is, Luca has made remarkable progress – far beyond anything his doctors could have predicted.
Naturally, Sarah and David are keen to keep up the good work with First Step, and are continuously fundraising to ensure that Luca gets his 3-week intensive sessions on a regular basis. The proceeds from Andrew & co’s Hell & Back today will be another boost to those funds, but, if you have any fundraising ideas, please get in touch with Sarah through the Super Luca Facebook page here. You can find out more about Luca here, and donate directly right here. Oh, and below, some fine shots of the action today from John McGowan.
In the meantime, here’s Luca and the rest of the Keogh clan on where they’ve been, and where they’re headed…