Gemma Willis and her dog, Lucky
By Elizabeth Lee
A MENTOR for Spinal Injuries Ireland is set to sail on a beautiful tall ship, taking in England, France and Jersey before arriving into Dublin in June.
Gemma Willis from Tullow is a wheelchair user who will work as a crew member on ***SV Tenacious*** along with 20 volunteers and 19 disabled participants in the Spinal Injuries Ireland Tall Ships Challenge.
Twenty-eight-year-old Gemma is an inspiration and mentor with Spinal Injuries Ireland for other people who have suffered spinal injuries after she sustained horrific injuries in a car crash in 2014.
Massive internal damage
She suffered massive internal damage and broke multiple bones in the accident, with the result that she lost her leg and is wheelchair-bound. Gemma’s recovery from the accident was miraculous, after she spent nine months in the Mater Hospital, Dublin undergoing ten operations and spending a further stint in the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dún Laoghaire learning how to live with her injuries.
Since then she’s vowed to live her life to the full and her busy schedule is powered by her positive attitude.
She first learnt of the Tall Ships Challenge fundraiser in 2019, but was unable to take part. She signed up the following year, but the Covid-19 pandemic scuppered that opportunity.
Now she’s finally getting ready to board ***SV Tenacious***, on which she’ll sail from 18 to 25 June. The ship will leave Poole in England before sailing to Jersey and northern France before coming into Dublin.
Getting fit for the journey
She’s been working out in the gym in preparation for her adventure on the high seas and the excitement is building.
“When I heard about this, I knew I wanted to do it straight away. It’s like a pirate ship and I’ll have an opportunity to go up to the crow’s nest. That’ll be incredible to be up there with the sea all around me,” continued Gemma.
“We have to do shift work, doing different jobs like cooking and cleaning. I’ll be buddied up with an able-bodied volunteer and I won’t be treated any differently to anyone else. I’ll have to do what everyone else is doing; it’ll be tiring but worth it.”
Gemma, who is the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Willis, has paid €600 of her own money to take part in the challenge and is now raising funds for Spinal Injuries Ireland.
In the meantime, Gemma is anticipating what life on a pirate ship will be like!
“It’ll be magical! To be on the ship and to go up to the crow’s nest will be unbelievable. Being in the crow’s nest and being surrounded by the sea all around me, that’s that I’m really looking forward to. It’ll be a change of scenery anyway!” she laughed. “It’ll be a fantastic experience … it’s starting to get exciting now!”
Comments