Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Jane Lundon & Michelle Cullen

'Life will never be normal' for RTE Late Late Toy Show star who 'has second tumour'

Late Late Toy Show star Saoirse Ruane captivated the country with her bravery and honesty during her cancer battle, which saw her lose a leg.

Saoirse appeared on the show at the age of eight as she bravely told her story of battling cancer.

But sadly, the heroic child has been recently hit with a second cancer diagnosis.

Read More : One Covid symptom is 'curiously' affecting mainly vaccinated people

This month the family - parents Roseanna and Ollie, Saoirse and little sister, Farrah-Rose told RSVP Magazine about the "world-stopping news" they received.

Roseanna, Saoirse's mother, explained that "life will never get back to normal" after the latest update on Saoirse's health and discovering a second tumour.

"Every decision we make going forward is very different to what we would have made before. You treat life differently, you look at it differently.

"I wouldn't think up as far as them going to secondary school now. I would have before Saoirse's sickness, but now, I pull myself back, and I don't look that far ahead. I don't worry about any of that stuff.

"What's for us is going to happen, and we can't control that, so we will see how it plays out. Over time you do start to become more confident in making commitments and plans again, you start to get excited again about little things... That is where we are."

Mum Roseanna spoke about the moment the family received the shocking news of a new tumour: "Saoirse said one weekend that she had a pain in her chest when she was breathing in."

Saoirse Ruane with her mum Rosanna, dad Ollie and sister Farrah-Rose (RSVP/Kate Nolan)

"She was reviewed every four months, and the first thing they always checked was the chest because that is the one area they don't want to see a tumour. So I brought her to the GP, and we were sent to the hospital for an X-ray and a CT scan.

She explains that she was left shocked by the news, having been comforted by previous opinions that Saoirse was doing well.

Roseanna said: "I was off the scent because they seemed to say all was fine, but we were there all day. At 8pm, they suggested I get a cup of tea, but I just wanted to go home. I always remember going down to the shop, and it was closed."

"On the way back up, I met this registrar, and she was carrying two chairs. I opened the door for her, and we were joking about the shop being closed."

She told RSVP of that sign that bad news was coming: "It wasn't until afterwards I found out they were bringing the two chairs in for me and Ollie to tell us the news. They knew what was happening."

"Saoirse was in bed in her cubicle, and I was sitting with her when the reg took me aside and asked me if I wanted to ring my husband to come in.

"And I just said, "Please don't do this to me again, please don't do this to me again." I rang Ollie to come in, and he just said, "No, no, no down the phone and had a cry." This is 9pm at night."

Roseanna said when she heard the devastating news that the cancer had metastasised and was now in her lungs, it was like a moment of "déjà vu but worse."

She said: "So we were back in a room with a consultant and a nurse, and it was like déjà vu but worse because it was in her lungs now. The consultant was crying, tears were rolling down her face. They are strong people, but they didn't want this news. It was heartbreaking for everyone involved."

The little Kiltullagh hero has shared her story with the public through the Saoirse and Mamma Instagram account, which she shares with her mum as she continues to fight the disease.

READ NEXT:

To get the latest news right now, visit our homepage

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.