Late Brianna inspired young jockey to get back in the saddle

A YOUNG jockey has told how she was inspired by a late Killaloe girl with special needs to resume riding in her memorial race, a few months after receiving her own Epilepsy diagnosis.

Ali O’Brien (14) Tullaheady, Nenagh, was thrilled to win the Brianna Lynch Memorial Cup at the North Tipperary Foxhounds Point-to-Point at Lisboney, Nenagh recently.

In November 2019, Brianna Lynch (9) died in her sleep from SUDEP – Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy – leaving her family devastated.

Her mother, Arabella Scanlan, a well-known Killaloe horse trainer, provided Ali with one of her horses, Bridget, to ride in the memorial race for her daughter, a few weeks after the teenager had decided to get back on a horse following her own Epilepsy diagnosis in December 2021.

Ali didn’t want to go back riding in December and January in the wake of her Epilepsy diagnosis. When her medication wasn’t working, Ali often wondered was this how Brianna, who was non-verbal, felt but couldn’t communicate to anyone.

“I wanted to do the race to support Brianna and Arabella. I wasn’t expecting to win the race,” said Ali who added that coming up to the finish of the race, the adrenaline was pumping.

“It was surreal. Brianna’s sister, Farrah was crying in the parade ring after the race. Everyone was crying. It was an amazing experience. It was something I would do every day if I could. All the riders really enjoyed the race. If Brianna was there she would have been screaming at me coming up to the hill ‘mon, mon’.”

“I thought I was never going to be a jockey, but I put my head down and have been riding since. I got up on Bridget first before I got up on my own horse.”

She rode her own horse Roxy in the Ballycommon Sponsored Race the day after the Brianna Lynch Memorial Cup.

When Arabella heard why Ali decided to enter the race to support her own daughter, she was choked up with emotion.

“I told Ali I have a horse here you can ride, there is no pressure if it doesn’t work out. You couldn’t have scripted what happened. Not only does she enter, but she wins the race.
Everyone was in tears after the race. No one knew that day she had Epilepsy.”

Ali (14), who attends St Mary’s Secondary School Nenagh, recalled when she was 13 she would occasionally “zone out” into her own world when people were talking to her, but was still able to pick up where she had left off.

However, these episodes started to become more frequent before a full seizure on December 8, 2021 at 7.30am.

“I don’t remember falling to the ground. I remember being in my bedroom. I tried to get up and fell to the side. My father, Donie, helped me to get up after I had the seizure. I don’t remember anything in between. I remember lying on my bed when the paramedics came into the room.”

“I don’t remember what happened for a few minutes. I remember the paramedics explaining what happened before I was put into the ambulance. I could only remember parts of what happened.

“When I came around in the ambulance I felt a bit sick but nothing really clicked with me until later that evening in hospital.”

Ali was taken to University Hospital Limerick (UHL) where she was treated for two nights before being discharged on Friday afternoon with an Epilepsy diagnosis by a consultant neurologist following a series of tests.

Doctors believe Epilepsy came from her own genes but wasn’t passed on genetically.

Her mother, Laura recalled consultant neurologist Dr Elizabeth O’Mahony was fantastic, explaining everything about this condition, medication and what lifestyle she could lead.
However, some of her medication didn’t really suit her as she was very tired and not feeling very well.

The family faced a difficult situation in terms of trying to adjust Ali’s medication as Dr O’Mahony went on leave and wasn’t replaced in the hospital.

Still having seizures in spite of medication, Laura rang their GP who referred Ali to the Emergency Department in UHL to have blood tests.

In early January, Laura recalled there wasn’t any medical person in UHL who could help Ali when they went to the hospital and said they were advised to go home and find a neurologist privately because there was no public neurologist available that could adjust Ali’s medication.

“We were sent home, Ali wasn’t well. Our GP wasn’t happy and asked us to come in the following day to do blood tests.

Laura recalled she sent an email to UHL chief executive officer, Colette Cowan, asking who was taking over her daughter’s care and stating if there was any unexpected adverse outcome, she would hold the hospital responsible.

Within about 30 minutes, Laura got a phone call from a doctor in UHL asking her to bring Ali back into the hospital.

“I asked what has changed and what is different. I was told they could take blood tests and look at medication and increase some of the dose. About 20 minutes later when we were getting ready, the doctor said we will be keeping her.

“The paediatrician rang me and confirmed doctors could bring forward her sleep deprived EEG that was scheduled for the following Monday. Ali was kept for two nights, one medication was lowered and another medication was increased. That helped.”

Ali was still having absence petit mal seizures for between 15 to 30 seconds six or seven times a day, in spite of medication, which was an issue of concern.

Having searched for a private neurologist, the family engaged Dr Lynch in Temple Street Dublin who took on Ali as a patient. Dr Lynch made a few alterations to Ali’s medication before it started to work without major side effects.

Riding since she was four years of age, Ali attended a riding school, pony club and hunt, starting on horses in spring 2021. Her ambition is to become a jockey.

“Some days I want to get down off the horse and never get up. But most days it is a relief to go riding after school, particularly hacking up the road.”

“It is a form of escapism when you forget what is happening before your ride.”

She describes Rachael Blackmore, who became the first female jockey to win the Grand National last year, as a great inspiration and would love to try to become a jockey.

“After watching Rachael win the race last year, I thought that is the person I want to be. I want to be a jockey. I feel alive when I am on a horse.”