News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

Antrim

A young mother who is battling terminal cancer has spoken about the heartbreaking prospect of never seeing her children start school.


Antrim woman Terri Moore (23) first felt a lump on her stomach when she was pregnant with her daughter Macey 17 months ago.
She was diagnosed with a hernia but, when she fell pregnant again earlier this year and the problem worsened, she insisted on further tests.


Last month Terri and her family received the shocking news that the lump is in fact a deadly, malignant tumour which has spread to many of her organs. 
The rare form of cancer is known as Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and has a poor survival rate - it is estimated only around 20 per cent of sufferers receiving treatment live for three years after diagnosis.


Terri told the Antrim Guardian: "When we were first told it was cancer I actually took the news quite well. 
“So many people are diagnosed with different forms of the disease and survive so I was just concerned about getting treatment as soon as possible."
'

However Terri is currently 27 weeks pregnant with a baby boy, who she and her partner Andy have already named Max. 
Doctors have taken the decision to induce the birth next week in order for Terri to undergo treatment without posing a risk to her unborn child.
(Source: Antrim Guardian)

Armagh

A man in his forties has tragically died after being overcome by smoke when a saucepan overheated at his home in Newry.

Firefighters attended the scene at the house in High Street last Thursday night after neighbors were alerted by the smoke alarm going off.

It is understood fire officers found no evidence of a blaze.   The victim, who lived alone, was taken by ambulance crew to hospital around midnight, but he later died.
(Source: Crossexmainer.co.uk)

Carlow

A teenager girl who fell off a bouncing castle and damaged her spine during the summer has taken her first steps since the accident. Family and friends of Suzanne O’Neill worried that she might never walk again after the accident, which saw her damage her spinal cord and vertebrae in her spine.

But what doctors at the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire didn’t realise was that 16-year-old Suzanne wasn’t going to give up without a fight. And now the plucky youngster from Raheen, Hacketstown is looking forward to getting back on her feet.

“She’s doing really well. The doctors are very happy with her, they’re all very pleased,” said her mother Anne.

The only daughter of Pat and Anne O’Neill, Suzanne is being looked after in Dun Laoghaire by a fantastic team of doctors and nurses. Having made slow and steady progress from the time of her accident on 30 July, she is now allowed home for a few hours every Saturday.

“She’s home every Saturday just for the day, but we hope in the next two or three weeks that she’ll be able to come home for the night. She took her first steps last week. She’s very positive, her attitude is very optimistic,” added Anne.

​
Nster.com