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<\/p>\nMake-up artist Megan O’Connor is set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro this October to raise vital funds and raise awareness for Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), a disease that devastated her family.<\/p>\n
Despite almost no hiking experience, the Leitrim woman says she knows in her bones that this summit is the challenge she’s been looking for, both to honour her mum and to help process her own grief.<\/p>\n
A woman in her 50s, Megan’s mum, Anne, went through an arduous process to get the correct diagnosis, with many doctors believing her issues to be linked with the menopause.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t until 2017 that the family started getting some answers:<\/p>\n
“When the diagnosis eventually came around, there was a relief in one sense because there was finally an answer as to why she was changing so much,” says Megan.<\/p>\n
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Unlike Alzheimer’s disease, which sees symptoms appear in those aged in their late 60s or older, FTD can show up in those as young as 40. It can be hard to spot as symptoms may appear as gradual changes in behaviour, personality, and language.<\/p>\n
“By the time she got her diagnosis, she had progressed to a point where she had stopped driving; she couldn’t remember how to drive, couldn’t remember how to use her mobile phone,” she explains.<\/p>\n
During this time, Megan was completing a degree in Fine Art, and had plans to travel the world following graduation. Unfortunately, her mother’s decline meant that she needed full-time care, and the burgeoning artist quickly stepped into the role.<\/p>\n
“My life took a different route than I had anticipated,” she says. “It changed the trajectory of everything, I guess.”<\/p>\n
“My life was kind of frozen for that period of time,” she continues. “Then COVID hit, and that added to it a little bit. We were so afraid of Mam getting COVID. We were doing everything to keep her as safe as possible.”<\/p>\n
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With no cure for FTD and Anne’s symptoms worsening, the decision was eventually made to bring her into full-time care at a local nursing home.<\/p>\n
Although Megan would still visit daily, this change allowed her to focus on her love of art, and eventually led her to appear on RT\u00c9’s Glow Up Ireland – a reality competition that saw 10 of Ireland’s best amateur make-up artists go head-to-head in weekly challenges.<\/p>\n
“I feel like I was a little bit numb to life at this point,” she reflects. “I didn’t know what was going on, but I applied because my friends told me to! I didn’t expect anything to come from it. The next thing I knew, I was in a studio surrounded by cameras, and I was like, oh my god.”<\/p>\n
“It’s kind of hard for me to look back now,” she admits. “I was there, but I was a bit of a shell of who I was prior to my caring journey. When I watch back the clips, I get a bit sad to see that version of myself. But I’m also proud that I did it.”<\/p>\n
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\nGlow Up Ireland contestants in 2021<\/p>\n
Just a few months after the show, in February of 2022, Anne sadly passed away. As well as processing her grief, Megan had to adjust to a completely new way of life.<\/p>\n
“I think I buried my head in the sand a little bit,” she muses. “I went and bought a treadmill and focused all of my grief into walking on a treadmill. I didn’t know what else to do with it. The purpose of my life at that point was my mam. My everyday routine was ripped away from me.”<\/p>\n
What started as a coping mechanism soon became a way to connect with others. Sharing her experience with grief and fitness online, Megan began garnering a following, with others in similar situations sharing their stories.<\/p>\n
“It gave me a reason to show up,” she says. “It made me feel like I had a little bit of a purpose again.”<\/p>\n
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Four years on since her mum’s passing, Megan says she is only now beginning to feel like herself again. So much so, she is setting herself the challenge of a lifetime.<\/p>\n
In October 2026, she and her best friend, Siobhan, will join the FTD Brothers Foundation in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the world’s highest free-standing mountains.<\/p>\n
“Nothing ever really felt right to honour Mam,” says the 32-year-old. “When this popped up, everything aligned.”<\/p>\n
Despite having little-to-no hiking experience, the Leitrim woman says the physical demands of the challenge don’t intimidate her. The training and preparation will come, but most importantly, her mind is clear.<\/p>\n
“I have no better driving force than my mam,” she insists. “In my head, I’m already at the top.”<\/p>\n