Roseanna Ruane has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her late daughter Saoírse on the first anniversary of her death.
The 12-year-old, who won the hearts of the nation following her appearance on The Late Late Toy Show in 2020, died following a long battle with cancer on March 5th last year.
Saoírse launched the first Toy Show Appeal and emerged as one of the stars of the show during her appearance and was just eight-years-old when she appeared on the show with then host Ryan Tubridy.
In December 2019, when she was aged seven, the girl from Kiltullagh, Co Galway, was diagnosed with an Osteosarcoma tumour, a rare form of cancer, in her tibia.
Not only did Saoírse have to endure months of intense chemotherapy, but she also had to have her right leg amputated as a result of her diagnosis.
This came as a devastating blow to her and her family. But Saoírse was fitted with a prosthetic leg and her recovery had brought so much joy to her, her family and her wide community as she continued to work hard at rehabilitation.
Saoírse’s mum Roseanna has been sharing updates on how the family are coping with their grief following her death.
Sharing a video of her daughter’s grave filled with flowers and photos of the Ruane family, on Instagram Roseanna said: “And here we are, the eve of your first year anniversary. We sit here tonight, on what was the anniversary of the day you passed. It was a Tuesday. But tomorrow we will wake to the date being on a Wednesday 5th March. That’s the day you left. The day our hearts broke into tiny pieces.”
The brave young girl is survived by her mother Roseanne, father Ollie and sister Farah Rose. Her parents visit "Saoirse's Garden" because they don't like the words grave or graveyard.
Roseanna added: “I tried to explain this to Farah Rose last night, how when you left our hearts broke and no amount of adhesive/glue could ever fix them because a huge piece of our lives is missing forever.
“But our broken hearts are very precious hearts that carry scars from the pain and loss we go through and we wouldn’t want them any other way. They are part of who we are and our story, which is part of you Saoírse.
“We sit and wonder. We contemplate. We look around and still wonder, what’s it all about. We question it all still and probably always will. We wonder why you’re not here..why, why, why, why.
“The big round ball called the world continues to turn and so life carries on. We will never understand this ever. Twelve years on earth, 12 months in heaven. To have had you for 12 seconds was a blessing. Was it really just a beautiful dream??? Mama.”
President Michael D Higgins offered his “deepest condolences” to the Ruane family following her death. He said the 12-year-old’s “strength and warmth was an inspiration to all”.
