The mother of Late Late Toy Show star Saoirse Ruane has opened up on the heart-breaking moment that a tumour was found in her lung earlier this year.
Saoirse was first diagnosed with osteosarcoma in December 2019 and had her right leg amputated as Ireland entered lockdown in March 2020.
The ten-year-old from Kiltullagh, Galway, captured the hearts of the nation on The Late Late Toy Show in 2020 when she spoke about losing her limb to the rare illness.
Earlier this year, she was diagnosed with cancer for a second time after tests on her lung following complaints of a pain in her chest.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with RSVP Magazine, Saoirse's mother Roseanna explained: "Life will never get back to normal,"
"That is very important to say. 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.
Speaking about Saoirse’s second diagnosis, Roseanna explained it was news no one wanted to hear, not even the consultants involved.
"Saoirse said one weekend that she had a pain in her chest when she was breathing in. 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. I was off the scent because they seemed to say all was fine but we were there all day.
Continuing, she said "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.
"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 heart-breaking for everyone involved."
Read the full interview with the Ruane’s and see the fabulous pictures in the latest issue of RSVP Magazine, on shelves today.
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