Reflecting on the year gone by as we near Christmas, Dermot Bannon and Ryan Tubridy remembered young Michael Stokes, a teenager who lived in a home that became one of Dermot's Room to Improve projects.
The 15-year-old, who had Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic disorder which causes bones to break easily, rose to fame when he appeared in an episode of RTÉ's Room to Improve in 2015. His engaging personality and his close relationship with Dermot, made him a fast favourite with viewers.
Following his time on the show, the charismatic Michael made an appearance on The Late Late Show with hi foster father, Barry. When host Ryan Tubridy asked him about the difference Dermot made to his home, he said: "I have my own bed, I have my own desk."I love everything, everything is at my level."
Earlier this year, his family posted on RIP.ie that he died "...peacefully, following a tragic accident, in the wonderful care of the staff of Temple Street Children's Hospital."
Michael lived with his foster parents, Anne and Barry, and Dermot described their meeting as particularly special, saying that within five minutes of meeting Michael, he would completely disarm you.
"I'm just devastated for them... I think about them every single day, I can't look at a picture of Michael yet," he said.
Dermot told Ryan that Michael brought a lot of perspective into his life and that he learned not to sweat the small stuff from watching him.
"When you saw, sometimes in the chair, the difficulty he had getting into the car... how he just, he did it and he sang, he did it with joy," he explained.
Listen back to Dermot Bannon's interview with Ryan Tubridy on RTÉ Radio 1, below:
