Two young girls have been honoured for their courage in overcoming serious illness by Limerick County Council.
The council hosted a civic reception in their honour on Thursday afternoon.
Bronagh O’Neill, 16, from Grange in Co Limerick and Rebecca McCauley, 11, from Raheen have undergone treatment for brain cancer.
They were presented with special medals and certificates on behalf of the people of Limerick to honour their achievements.
The civic reception is the highest honour a council can bestow on its citizens.
Bronagh only recently completed her Junior Certificate, just ten days after undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumour at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.
She was able to continue her school lessons by means of the school at Beaumont.
Bronagh said she was overwhelmed to be honoured with the civic reception and accepted it on behalf of other young people who are also ill.
She said she remains positive about the future and has told other young people who are sick of the absolute necessity to maintain a positive perspective when faced with serious illness.
Rebecca recently published a book detailing her experiences, entitled “The Little Girl with the Big Headache”, which is a diary of how she coped with her illness since first being diagnosed in April 2011.
She recently underwent further chemotherapy when a second tumour was diagnosed.
Cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council Mary Harty said in honouring the achievements and bravery of Bronagh and Rebecca in overcoming their illnesses, Limerick County Council is acknowledging other young people throughout Limerick who have survived or are continuing to be treated for serious illness.
As part of the event, the council also made a donation of €2,000 from the Council Staff Humanitarian and Benevolent Fund towards cancer research at the Children’s Ark Project based at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.
