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The Lives of Reilly
Known to most as Mavis, meet athlete and ex-professional footballer
Mark Reilly, whose daughter Dionne suffers from Rett Syndrome, a currently incurable genetic disorder that affects brain development. Coached and inspired by the late, great Tommy Burns at key moments
of his career, Mavis played against and alongside household names
such as Ally McCoist, Henrik Larsson and Paul Gascoigne, and was
a mainstay in the Kilmarnock side that won the Scottish Cup in 1997.
During his time as a footballer, Mavis developed the character and
resilience that would set him up not only for responding to Dionne's
needs in a positive light, but also for the gruelling physical challenges
he would take on to raise funds for Reverse Rett, a charity with the sole
focus of finding a cure. One of these challenges was the Marathon des
Sables, the toughest footrace on Earth, in its hottest year on record
where the temperature regularly exceeded 50 degrees Celsius.
Drawing on the themes of positivity, determination and hope, The Lives of Reilly takes you from football pitch to consultancy room to
desert, reinforcing the power of positive thinking in pushing limits and
achieving goals. Touching, poignant and funny, Mavis's story is proof
that even in the darkest times, light can be found and the seemingly
unachievable can be conquered
Mark Reilly, whose daughter Dionne suffers from Rett Syndrome, a currently incurable genetic disorder that affects brain development. Coached and inspired by the late, great Tommy Burns at key moments
of his career, Mavis played against and alongside household names
such as Ally McCoist, Henrik Larsson and Paul Gascoigne, and was
a mainstay in the Kilmarnock side that won the Scottish Cup in 1997.
During his time as a footballer, Mavis developed the character and
resilience that would set him up not only for responding to Dionne's
needs in a positive light, but also for the gruelling physical challenges
he would take on to raise funds for Reverse Rett, a charity with the sole
focus of finding a cure. One of these challenges was the Marathon des
Sables, the toughest footrace on Earth, in its hottest year on record
where the temperature regularly exceeded 50 degrees Celsius.
Drawing on the themes of positivity, determination and hope, The Lives of Reilly takes you from football pitch to consultancy room to
desert, reinforcing the power of positive thinking in pushing limits and
achieving goals. Touching, poignant and funny, Mavis's story is proof
that even in the darkest times, light can be found and the seemingly
unachievable can be conquered
354 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
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August 13, 2023
One man’s story about a battle with his head and the Sahara desert. A very uplifting and inspiring book
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