RTE Toy Show star Saoirse Ruane has been moved out of the intensive care unit and onto a ward following major surgery to remove a new tumour on her lung last week.
The Galway girl's mother Roseanna posted an adorable picture of her brave 10-year-old daughter sharing a hug with her dad in Crumlin’s Children's Hospital as she revealed Saoirse is still "being observed closely" by doctors.
Saoirse first touched the hearts of the nation when she appeared on the RTE Late Late Toy Show in 2020 and is currently fighting cancer for a second time.
But in a positive update on their Instagram page, saoirseandmamma, Roseanna said they "can’t get over how well she's doing" though they are still taking it "one day at a time".
She also said Saoirse is in "great spirits" and can't wait to get home to see her younger sister.
"After a week in intensive care Saoirse has now moved to a ward where she is being observed closely by her surgeon while we wait on more results and give her wounds time to heal. Our team are taking it one day at a time," Roseanna wrote.
"She is in great spirits and cannot wait to get home to Farrah Rose.
"We can’t get over how well she’s doing considering the surgery was so major and involved a lot of reconstruction.
"We can’t thank our team enough, for their skilled hands, their care, their compassion but mostly their understanding.
"Hospital stays are daunting for any of us, but in a child’s eyes, it’s the scariest thing in the world.
"Saoirse has spent a week surrounded by tubes, wires, drains, machines and dealing with the trauma of bloods, dressings, pain, fear, loneliness, nighttime in hospital, medication, sedation along with getting to know and trust so many nurses caring for her day and night.
"The postal service has been very busy in Crumlin and at home and we can’t thank you all enough for the cards, gifts and get well wishes.
"A picture paints a thousand words and this was taken in ICU last week when Saoírse and Dadda Ollie both needed a hug."
Following the surgery last week, Roseanna reassured followers that it went "as planned" and thanked the doctors and nurses for their work to save her daughter’s life.
After previously referring to it as the ‘fight of her life’, the mum-of-two added: “This is the first of many steps on this difficult journey!”
Saoirse first won praise for her strength and bravery during her Toy Show appearance two years ago in 2020, when she told host Ryan Tubridy about having to have her leg amputated after being diagnosed with a rare tumour in 2019, and how she has learned to walk again on a new prosthetic.
But recently, her mother Roseanna shared the devastating news that her cancer has returned, and a rare tumour was found in Saoirse's lung.
After meeting with her medical team, the heartbroken mother asked for prayers as she told fans and followers that life saving surgery would be needed to remove it.
Courageous Saoirse made a recent appearance on RTE’s Late Late Show ahead of her latest tumour surgery.
Speaking on the night, Tubridy told her: “You changed many, many lives by being a very special, important person.”
