O'B's gym are putting on a show in Johnstone Town Hall on August 27th, primarily for novice fighters at C class (5x1.5, no elbows or knees to head) and the card is filling up fast. However, no matter the results on the night, the star of the show has already been decided: Mick McGarry. Mick has decided to donate his purse and his ticket commission to a fund set up in order to help a little girl with cerebral palsy have an operation to allow her to walk.
Keanna McMillan from Bridge of Weir just outside Glasgow is four years old and suffers from spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which causes tightening of the muscles and tendons as well as pain and discomfort in the legs. Treatment for this can come in the form of a selective dorsal rhizotomy in which the patient's spine is opened and the misfiring nerves causing spasticity are severed. While this is not a cure, it does allows the individual to walk without pain and in many cases unaidied which is life changing in itself.
This treatment is not readily avaliable in the UK so the McMillan family are forced to look at alternative options. They have identified a doctor in America who has carried this operation out on over 2,000 children with a 100% sucess rate but in total, this will cost the family £50,000 ($81,600) of which the family have been fortunate enough to collect around £27,000 so far. When Mick heard of this cause through family members he felt that donating the money he earns from fighting was the least he could do to help.
Mick is no stranger to heroic behaviour. He has been fitting in training and fightings around his day job as a fireman. I don't care if all he does is get cats down from a tree, I've been in awe of firemen ever since I seen London's Burning as a child. Fire and heights terrify me, so my hat is off to all firemen. He has been training in Muay Thai for around three years while also training and playing for his local junior football team, Johnstone Burgh FC. This hectic schedule has kept him from fighting regularly but he has so far posted two fights, winning both. At present, he is preparing to face an unknown prospect in Geordie Anderson from Bad Boy Gym at 75kg by training whenever he can with his coach, John and with private instruction from Colin Morton, training partner of ISKA European welterweight champion Lloyd Cochran.
If you would like to know more about the event and Mick's gym, head over to the O'B Gym website.
For more on Keanna, her operation, or to donate money visit her site.
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