The mother of Toy Show favourite Saoírse Ruane, Roseanna, has posted a positive update about her daughter's health amid treatment for cancer.
The family, who are from Co Galway, share snippets from their daily life, as well as health updates for 11-year-old Saoírse, on their Instagram page, SaoirseAndMamma.
Posting a photo of Saoírse and her dog Willow, Roseanna wrote: "So many of you sent us lovely messages saying it's so lovely to see Saoírse so well this morning & in the uniform.
"Just 7 weeks ago things were very different, she was very low on energy, sleeping a lot, her appetite was so poor & she was struggling with a little cough."
"I had attended a friend's hen party in the previous month in the hope that we may get going to the wedding, but we didn’t. That’s just the way it is & that’s why we don’t plan too far ahead."
Happily, Ms Ruane said that the situation has improved, writing: , "A couple of weeks later Saoírse is up first thing for school, doing the full days, completing her homework, and clearing her plate again (sometimes even looking for more 😋) She’s continuing her treatment and tolerating it well."
She continued, "It’s very hard to describe the worry & fear we as parents go through everyday.
"Some days social media is a welcome distraction from that but sometimes it doesn’t feel right to post & that’s the love/hate relationship we have with social media the last while."
Saying that the family often don't know if they're "coming or going", she said that they miss the fun side of social media - "fun collabs and our live sing songs."
"Some days are so good & happy, we almost feel life is normal BUT THEN … you quickly come back down to earth again & realise the journey we’re on is still very uncertain."
Reflecting on how different their life is now, Ms Ruane said: "This life is different! It’s different to the life we once had! It’s not the life we wanted! BUT it’s our life & we choose to make the very best of it!!"
"We don’t say this looking for empathy, we just say it as it is, choosing the platform we have to show someone else that might be on the same/familiar journey that there’s a lot to be grateful for even if life isn’t the one you dreamed off.
"If Saoírse can get up everyday with such determination, then you can too! Thank you all for your continued support on here & most importantly please keep the prayers going."
In 2020, Saoírse, then eight years old, appeared on The Late Late Toy Show and shared her story of living with a rare Osteosarcoma tumour in her tibia and losing her leg due as a result.
She told host Ryan Tubridy: "I had to have my leg taken from me", as she showed him her prosthetic leg, which was decorated with a unicorn.
She shared that she had three dreams: to be on The Late Late Toy Show, to be walking by Christmas and to go on a family holiday.
She then stood up and walked around the studio, before she was told that she and her family would be sent on a holiday to to Disney.
Saoírse was then joined by her mother who told viewers of Saoírse's fundraising for charity, to help other children who are sick - a story that inspired the founding of The Late Late Toy Show Charity Appeal, which has gone on to raise €17.5 million for charities that help children in Ireland.
The Ruane family shared "devastating news" in April 2022 that another tumour had been found.
Saoírse was named one of Galway's People of the Year in 2023.
