A Co Down woman has spoken about how she's hoping to make her dad proud following his death from a common but not well-known condition.
Gemma Thomspon's dad, Ronnie, died in November 2021 at the age of 59 after living with a blood condition called haemochromatosis.
The inherited condition means iron levels in the blood slowly build up over years. If left untreated, this iron overload can damage parts of the body such as the liver, joints, pancreas and heart.
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Ronnie's main symptom was fatigue meaning the condition went undiagnosed for many years, before he was eventually diagnosed seven years ago. He was undergoing treatment which included a regular procedure to remove some blood.
Gemma, 33, lives in Valencia, Spain, and was unaware of the seriousness of her dad's complications with the illness when she was told he was in hospital with an infection in November.
Soon after, however, she received a call asking her to come home as he had been moved into intensive care. She made it to the hospital and was able to see her dad one last time.
Now, the Bangor woman is taking on a mammoth fundraising challenge where she will be climbing four of the tallest mountains in the UK and Ireland to raise funds for the charity Haemochromatosis UK and to raise awareness of the condition.
"It's been tough but working on this project is really helping me. I was obviously very down for a while going through grief - I needed to focus on something else," Gemma told Belfast Live.
"I live in Spain and was told my dad was sick in hospital with an infection, but we didn't know how sick he was. I then got a phone call telling me to come home as soon as possible.
"My dad was in intensive care at that stage - it was all super fast as I didn't even know he was that sick. I think they were trying to protect me because I was living away.
"But thankfully I got a flight for the next morning and went straight to the hospital and was able to see him."
Remembering her dad Ronnie, the 33-year-old said she misses the supportive messages he would send the most.
She said: "He was always super proud. I'm an only child and even though I've gone off travelling the world, he's always been really supportive.
"One thing I really miss is all his wee supportive messages. He would've always been really positive and enthusiastic, so I really miss that."
When it comes to haemochromatosis, the condition is quite common in countries such as Northern Ireland but it isn't particularly well-known. Gemma said the symptoms can quite easily be overlooked.
"The main symptoms are feeling tired a lot and weight loss. My dad was feeling really tired all the time," she added.
"But it's not really anything specific to the illness. If you're tired you might not think anything else of it.
"There's a blood test you can do to check whether you have the gene. I go every year to check my iron levels - if they're high, I give blood and if they're fine it's okay. It's definitely a manageable condition once you're diagnosed.
"My dad had it for years but only had it diagnosed about seven years ago, but it had already done quite a lot of damage by then unfortunately. He had to go every week to give blood to try and get his iron levels down.
"They could manage to get his levels down but it affects your organs - it really affects your liver with all the toxins."
In July 2023, Gemma and her boyfriend Salva will be climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Slieve Donard over the course of a week in memory of her dad and her boyfriend's mum, who died from cancer eight years ago.
The pair decided to add Slieve Donnard onto the traditional Three Peaks Challenge as it was the first mountain Gemma climbed with her dad.
They're hoping to raise £1,000 for their respective charities through a series of events and through JustGiving pages. You can donate to Gemma's page by clicking here and Salva's page here.
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