Alanna Quinn Idris stepped out for her school Debs this week – just months after losing her left eye following an alleged assault.
The brave teenager looked stunning in a show-stopping teal fishtail dress with her proud date by her side for her graduation ball.
Alanna, 18, even went on to win best dressed on the night during the bash at the Castle Arch Hotel in Trim, Co Meath.
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Speaking exclusively in her first interview since the alleged assault last December, Alanna said she was looking forward to starting college.
Having aced her Leaving Cert at St Carita’s in Ballyfermot she gave an update on her surgery.
She told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “I got my first prosthetic eye the other day that I was supposed to have for my Debs but I don’t think I will wear it because it needs adjusting. It’s really not suited for me just yet, it’s not a right match.
“I think it draws more attention the way it is at the moment.
“It’s not the right size and I still need to have more surgery on that side of my face to fill it out as it’s still a bit sunken around the area of my eye.
“I have a few more specialists to see and I’m sure they will find the right fit. It will just take some trial and error.”
Alanna admitted she was devastated when she tried the new eye and it didn’t match – but she is hopeful.
She said: “I have kind of had my hopes up high and after every appointment I have been left in tears. It’s just something that is really hard to fix.
“I wasn’t going to go [to the Debs] after I got the eye but I thought, ‘I just won’t wear it’.”
On her Leaving Cert success she said: “I got 100 per cent in foundation maths and the lowest result I got overall was 60 per cent in business studies and Irish.
“I was surprised considering I had missed a good bit of school.
“I’m going to do an architecture and interior design course in Blackrock. It will mean getting two buses but it’s something I will enjoy.
“My only other option was to go to college in Sligo and I don’t want to be that far away from home.
“I love both aspects of the course as I can go into either of them once it’s completed.
“I’m hoping to travel too and see the different styles of houses and architecture in other countries. I’m in college for two years and what I am thinking of doing is going to Thailand after year one, before starting the second.”
Alanna’s mum Jamie told how the whole family are so grateful for the support shown to the brave teenager.
She said: “We are so thankful to the eye and ear hospital and to Dr Nixon for working to achieve the best results possible for Alanna.
“Everyone has been great, even for her Debs this week, Dani’s Closet helped her with her dress and she looked incredible.”
Two men have been charged in connection with the alleged attack on Alanna and her friend in Ballyfermot on December 30, 2021.
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