Kerrykeel man Davitt Walsh with the baby he saved. Pic courtesy of NorthWestNewsPix
Tragic mum Louise James is to run part of the Belfast Marathon to help raise cash for the charity that helped her son Evan.
Louise will do a leg of the city race along with Donegal hero Davitt Walsh, who saved her daughter Rioghnach-Ann, and more than 100 friends and family.
The #Teamevan is being organised by family friend Tommy McCallion in a bid to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK, but also raise the profile of the illness.
Evan, 8, died along with his brother 12-year-old Mark, their dad and Louise’s partner Sean McGrotty, and his grandmother Ruth Daniels and her 15-year-old daughter Jodie-Lee when their car came off the slipway at Buncrana pier on March 20.
Kerrykeel man Davitt managed to swim out to the car and rescue Rioghnach-Ann as she was handed out through the car window by Sean and get her to safety.
Former footballer Tommy McCallion said it was his son Tom who came up with the idea.
He added: “My son Tom was best friends with Evan and he knows I run marathons usually to raise money for the Foyle Hospice, so it was him who asked could I do one in memory of Evan.
“I said ok, and within about a week of starting to ask people we’ve got 125 people doing the relay and three people doing the full marathon.
“It’s just been incredible, the support we’re getting. I spoke to Louise and it was her who asked me to do it for Muscular Dystyrophy UK.
“But she’s going to run it as well, as is Davitt Walsh, and I’ve organised it so Louise and Davitt and other family members who are taking part will be doing the final leg of their relays.
“It’s going to be such an emotional day, but I just hope something positive comes out of it in that the profile of Muscular Dystrophy is raised as well as some money for research into the condition.
“Louise and the charity have been great in helping getting this organised.
“It’s been a very tough time for Derry, but you can see that they’ve come together for this, people from Derry and from Donegal all wanting to get involved.
“We’re getting T-shirts printed at the minute and everyone will be wearing them on the day, so people won’t be running for their clubs or what ever, they’ll be running for Team Evan, so it’s going to be pretty powerful stuff to see all those people wearing the Muscular Dystrophy colours.”
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