A TEENAGE Enniskillen schoolgirl is in the midst of a mammoth walking challenge, all in the aid of raising awareness of a condition that has afflicted her beloved dad.

Erne Integrated College student Kayleígh Beresford (15) is walking 100 miles in a month, having begun her challenge on March 7 and continuing until April 7.

Kayleígh is walking and fundraising to raise awareness of Pulmonary Fibrosis – a condition which her father, Glen (67), has been diagnosed with.

Speaking on the condition, Kayleígh said: “Daddy was diagnosed in 2016 with Pulmonary Fibrosis. With this, over time the tissue in your lungs becomes more damaged and scarred, and over time it will eventually stop your lungs working properly."

Speaking on her relationship with her dad, Kayleígh said: “Me and my dad have always been very close. Whenever I thought about doing a sponsored walk, it was all about choosing a charity that meant something to me.

“Pulmonary Fibrosis isn’t something you hear about every day – you hear a lot about other diseases, but this one is maybe something people don’t hear about. My family and I didn’t know about the disease until daddy caught it.”

There are still a lot of unknowns about the disease, as Kayleígh explained. “Daddy has 'Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis', which means they are unsure of how it started, or where it came from.

"There’s no real treatment for it, as there is no cure for the disease."

Although the disease is not well known by the public in comparison to other diseases, Kayleígh was shocked at how many families from Fermanagh have reached out to the young woman since she began fundraising for Action For Pulmonary Fibrosis.

As part of her overall target, Kayleígh has been walking around the county town, but has also journeyed out to other parts of Fermanagh to complete her walking target.

She said: “I’m aiming to do 25 miles per week – it was initially five kilometres a day, but some days you’ll be able to do longer, or need a rest day, so 25 miles per week was decided on.”

At the time of writing, Kayleígh has raised more than £800 for Action For Pulmonary Fibrosis, smashing her initial target of £150.

If you would like to donate to Kayleígh’s fundraiser, you can do so by visiting https://tinyurl.com/wftt649v.