Colin Farrell pushed his friend Emma Fogarty, who lives with a rare skin condition, the final 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon in her wheelchair on Sunday.
The 48-year-old star ran the marathon to raise funds for DEBRA, an Irish charity that supports people living with the incurable genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB) — also known as butterfly skin — like Fogarty.
Photos from the race show the “Penguin” actor beaming while pushing a cheering Fogarty with her arms in the air.
Fogarty, who turned 40 in June, is Ireland’s oldest surviving person with the condition, according to Sky News. She was born with no skin on her left foot and right arm and can develop excruciatingly painful blisters from just the slightest touch, which is why 80% of her body is covered in bandages.
Those with EB don’t have the essential proteins that bind the skin’s layers together, so even the smallest amount of friction or movement can disrupt the skin, causing it to break, tear or blister.
Born with the most severe form of the condition, Fogarty didn’t expect to reach age 40, as most individuals with her type of EB do not live past age 35, Sky News reported.
She and Farrell originally hoped to raise €400,000 ($430,000) for DEBRA, but now aim to reach a million euros. DEBRA’s website shows that they’re more than three-quarters of the way there.
Farrell and Fogarty appeared on Ireland’s “The Late Late Show” earlier this month, where the Oscar-nominated actor said he was pushing Fogarty 1 kilometer for every decade of her life, or 4 kilometers in total.
When asked what it meant to have Farrell by her side at the race, Fogarty said, “I trust no one more than you to push me that last 4k.”
The pair crossed the finish line of the 26-mile race just before 1 p.m. local time. Farrell completed the entire course in just over 4 hours, according to Sky News.
