A brave Dublin teenager battling a debilitating skin disease has thanked kind-hearted Late Late Show viewers after more than €325,000 was raised for ‘Butterfly skin’ charity, Debra Ireland.
On Friday night's show, 19-year-old Claudia Scanlon from Terenure in Dublin appeared alongside Debra Ireland ambassador and Rugby star Johnny Sexton to talk about the amazing work the charity does for people with the painful disease. Claudia has the severe form of the genetic disorder, which has left 80% of her body covered in blisters – and she needs a wheelchair because it is too painful for her to walk.
Claudia candidly opened up about her condition, telling Ryan Tubridy: "It affects me externally and internally and every aspect of my life. It's one of the worst conditions, I know I'm biased, that I think is out there. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."
Read more: RTE Late Late Show viewers gush praise for brave Claudia Scanlon
Claudia previously appeared on The Late Late Show, and said that the last few years have been tough on her. However, the brave teen said that she is determined to live life to the fullest and later this year will complete her college course to become a qualified makeup artist.
Claudia said: "I try be as positive as possible because I want to live my life, I have the right and I deserve to live the life that I was given and I don't want to sit in the corner and cry about it.
"I don't want to throw my life away, I'm here and I have a life to live," she added. During the show, Ireland rugby captain Sexton, who has worked with the charity for 12 years, praised Claudia for her bravery.
He said: “The first thing that you see it how incredibly brave they (EB patients) are... it makes you feel a little bit bad about yourself when you come home with an injury or after a bad game and you’re giving out about the world."
Debra Ireland's CEO Jimmy Fearon appeared on Ryan Tubridy's RTE Radio One show this morning to thank the public for helping to raise the six-figure sum for the charity. He said: "Once again, the Irish public have shown how incredibly generous they are. We cannot thank them enough."
Tubridy, on his RTE 1 radio show this morning, described the public’s response to the fundraising appeal as “extraordinarily generous”.
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