COLIN FARRELL IS home for Christmas, and absolutely dying for a kebab.
The actor dropped into the Late Late Show with his friend Emma Fogarty to discuss a topic close to their hearts, but not before Colin made his intentions aware to Abrakebabra in Donnybrook that he’d be calling in after. (Any gold cards on tic?)
Back to the real discussion of the night, Colin and Emma were on to discuss a disease Emma has had since the day she was born – Epidermolysis bullos, or EB for short.
EB is a group of genetic conditions that result in easy blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. Blisters occur with minor trauma or friction and are painful. Its severity can range from mild to fatal.
In Emma case, she was born with no skin on her left foot and right arm.
“They christened me immediately,” she said. “They told my parents I wouldn’t last a week, and it would be better off if I didn’t.”
As you get older you get more wounds. You get more bandages. The bandaging takes longer. At the beginning, it took an hour, an hour and a half to do bandages. Now it takes four and a half hours every second day.”
The fingers on her hands are now fused together as a result of the condition.
Colin and herself met after she won a People Of The Year award, for which he sent her a congratulatory video message. Following her participation in the Women’s Mini Marathon, he took her and four others who were raising money for Debra Ireland, (the national charity for EB) for dinner.
“I can’t get my head around that,” Colin said. “80% of her body covered in wounds that are akin to third degree burns … I can’t get my head around.”
The pair were on as part of a fundraising drive for Debra Ireland, with the hopes of raising €60,000, which will go towards employing people full time to assist in helping families dress the wounds of their loved ones.
Emma finished by saying: “I was given a life to live, and I’m determined to live it to the fullest.” Well said!
