FUNDRAISER TO HELP THE WARRIOR PRINCESS
DROGHEDA GOES INTO THE RED TO BACK HANNAH
WHILE thousands of people painted the town red over the Bank Holiday weekend, hundreds of pupils and workers “painted” schools, creches and businesses red last Friday!
People all over Drogheda wore items of red clothing to raise funds for Hannah ‘ The Warrior Princess’ Donnelly, who is hoping to return home from Temple Street hospital, where she has been in intensive care since an operation last March.
Children from schools including St Brigid’s and St Oliver’s National Schools, Presentation school, Ballymakenny Road, Ballymakenny College, Drogheda Grammar School, Termonfeckin NS and Just Kids creche, joined staff at State Street and other locations, and donned red t-shirts and jumpers, to assist fundraising efforts.
Hannah was born on Valentine’s Day in 2001 with a rare genetic condition called Apert Syndrome which causes fusion of bones prenatally and prevents normal growth of the skull and face. Over the last 17 years,
Hannah’s health has been extremely inconsistent, and she has had more than 40 operations and skin grafts.
On her last spinal check up, an MRI showed a piece of bone cutting into her spinal cord.
Once again Hannah faced it without fear, and an operation in March 2017 was successful but unfortunately Hannah suffered post surgical complications.
She needed an emergency tracheotomy for respiratory failure. The following weekend Hannah because critically ill again.
Further tests reveals Critical Illness Myophady which is a rare complication from been extremely unwell.
This condition has a chance of recovery although it is a very very slow recovery.
For her strength and determination Hannah also has received the National Child of Courage.
A student of St Ita’s special school, Hannah remains at the ICU Temple Street Hospital, but desperately wants to come home to be with her mum, sister and her cousin.
However, the family house in Newfield is totally unequipped for her needs and the needs of the rest of the family, and she will need around the clock care.
Training since the age of three, Hannah earned the nickname Warrior Princess after becoming the first person in Europe to receive a black belt in Superfoot Karate at 12.
Scores of events have been held over the past 12 months, with Hannah’s SNA Dolores O’Donoghue and her family taking on the major challenge of The London Landmarks Half Marathon in March in aid of Hannah. Many more events are being held all over Drogheda over the coming weeks, including a Children’s Fun Run in Moneymore on May 26th, and a Lip Sync Battle in June. All events are on the Facebook page Hannah The Warrior Princess Events.