Student battling cancer donates hair to wig-making charity before chemotherapy
A courageous 17-year-old student has donated 16 inches of her hair to a charity that creates wigs for children fighting cancer, despite undergoing chemotherapy herself.
Aine Sheerin discovered a lump on her neck while getting ready for New Year's Eve and was later diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, on March 20. As part of her six-month treatment plan, Aine will undergo multiple chemotherapy sessions, resulting in hair loss.
The LauraLynn Foundation arranged for Aine to receive a wig from the Little Princess Trust in the UK, which she will start wearing full-time once she shaves her head. In a remarkable act of kindness, Aine decided to donate her own hair to the charity before losing it, so it can be used to make wigs for others in similar situations.
Aine's hair was 24 inches long before she had 16 inches cut off, and she told the Irish Mirror: "My wig that I'm getting is 100 per cent human hair. I was devastated when I was first diagnosed because my biggest prized possession was my hair. I've always loved my hair.
"So I said 'no way, am I going to let it go to waste, I'll donate it back'. Because I know if somebody didn't donate the hair that is on my wig, I wouldn't have it. I would like to make another little girl happy the way mine made me happy."
Aine's initial symptoms of Hodgkin Lymphoma included fatigue, which she initially attributed to her Leaving Cert studies. After discovering a lump on December 30, Aine consulted her physio in January to see if it was related to her back problems.
However, the physio advised her that the two issues were unrelated and that she should consult her GP, ultimately leading to her diagnosis of Stage 2 Hodgkin Lymphoma. Fortunately, doctors have assured her that this type of cancer is highly treatable, and she is expected to make a full recovery.
Despite this setback, Aine remains determined and plans to pursue a degree in Community and Youth Work at Maynooth University after completing her Leaving Cert. The teenager has adapted her study schedule to accommodate her chemotherapy sessions and will even undergo treatment during her exams.
She said: "I'm feeling 100 per cent right now. It's been tough when I've been sick; it's been very, very hard to study and look over my notes. It's very overwhelming, and you think, 'Why do I bother?' Will I even be able to do the Leaving?
"But now that I'm well, I've been studying non-stop because I have to get more chemo. Whenever I feel well, I try to study as much as possible."
A Kildare teen, who is soon to celebrate her 18th birthday, has heaped praise on her family for their incredible support throughout her health battle. With special mentions for her mum Sinead, dad Frank, boyfriend Theo Hanlon, and the staff at Kildare Town Community School, she explained how they've been with her every step of the way.
As a young woman involved in numerous initiatives like Meitheal, Green Schools and Foróige, as well as serving as Head Girl and chairperson of the student council, Aine is a true pillar of the community. She even gave an inspiring speech at her sixth-year graduation ceremony this month, and she's forthcoming about how these roles have aided her in coping with her diagnosis.
Opening up about her experience, Aine said: "Those types of roles helped me get through my darkest days." In a remarkable display of altruism, Aine hasn't stopped at just managing her own struggles; she's actively fundraising for the LauraLynn Foundation, having raised an impressive sum of more than €9,000 so far.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Children hurl racial abuse at Irish-born doctor: 'I was stunned and upset'
An Irish-born medical registrar said he was left stunned after a group of children hurled racial slurs at him as he left a shopping complex last week. Dr Taimoor Salman estimates children as young as ten years old shouted slurs in a broken Indian accent at him. The incident occurred after 9pm on Thursday evening as Dr Salman dropped into Blackcastle Shopping Centre in Navan, Co. Meath to pick up a few groceries on his way home from work at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co. Louth. He had stepped into his car and was about to reverse when a young boy cycled in front of him and repeatedly shouted a slur at him. "I said he was being very rude and as I reversed an older boy, a young teen, came up and asked me if I had said something so I told him that his friend had been rude," he said. "The older boy told me to shut up and then started doing impersonations of Apu, the Indian shopkeeper in the Simpsons. I just left. I didn't say anything more as they were children. "I was stunned and upset. I have seen racial abuse and throw away remarks first hand to me and my colleagues at the hospital but I would never expect this from children who are generally very accepting of other nationalities. There seems to be a horrible pack mentality and this incident was insidious." Dr Taimoor was born in Ireland where his father trained and practised as a surgeon and worked in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan before moving the family to work in the UK and Saudi Arabia. "I lived in Navan and went to primary school here and have nothing but good memories of the town as a child. I never experienced any racism here. "That's part of the reason I came back to live here with my wife and young daughter in 2017 and after I began working in the hospital in Drogheda." Dr Salman, whose parents were born in Pakistan, believes that the streets of Navan have become too dangerous for him to walk at night. "This wave of hatred to people of colour is quite recent and increasingly more open and brash. I've been back in Ireland for 15 years. In 2017, it was a peaceful and safe place and I could walk anywhere at any time without fear. Now it is too unsafe and I would only go to crowded places." "There is no invasion in this country. This is everyone's home and everyone has to be respectful to everyone else. Racism is ugly and it shouldn't be accepted or tolerated. "I've seen senior consultants and colleagues at the hospital targeted and even in guidelines, we are told to use the word 'coloured' people. Why? All people are just people. We all have a heart and we will all live and die. There should be no distinction. "I saw a child on Thursday night. I didn't see a colour. No-one should see a colour" For more of the latest breaking news from the Irish Mirror check out our homepage by clicking here
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Irish Times
Ireland's most common genetic disorder: ‘It can creep up quietly and cause serious damage if it's missed'
Being tired is part and parcel of life, particularly, when during the teenage years, burning the candle at both ends and studying for exams. However, Alice Kelly felt 'permanently exhausted'. While she initially thought she just wasn't a very active person, when the tiredness, coupled with aches and pains, persisted right through her Leaving Cert year and subsequent exams – causing her to miss school and attend therapy – she decided something must be amiss. 'I started experiencing symptoms in my late teens,' she says. 'I was exhausted all the time with the kind of tiredness that you can't shake off. My fingers ached all day, but I put that down to baking and doing too much dough kneading. I also had dull, random stomach aches, mood swings that felt a bit too intense for just teenage hormones, and a constant fatigued dullness which made me feel lazy. Alice Kelly. 'But, deep down, I knew I wasn't a lazy person – and as every blood test came back 'normal', eventually I started to believe I just needed to rest and take time off my studies. So, I pushed through my Leaving Cert, convinced I was fatigued from school and the stomach pains were just anxiety, even though I didn't feel anxious. 'Therapy didn't seem to help much either, I would try to explain that I wasn't avoiding school due to stress, I just couldn't physically bring myself to sit there and listen when my stomach hurt and I was exhausted. But, as nobody could quite understand what I was trying to describe, I started to keep it to myself. READ MORE 'But by the time I was 19, the symptoms were affecting my whole life. I had my dream job (as a baker) lined up – baking full-time, creating content and filming recipes – but even then, I couldn't summon the energy to give it my all. Everything I loved started to feel like a chore and I just couldn't explain why.' After undergoing further tests, the now 21-year-old, who is studying Baking and Pastry Arts Management in TUD and has amassed 3.5 million followers on social media (@fromscratchbaker), was diagnosed with 'I was recently diagnosed with a genetic disorder called hereditary haemochromatosis , which is sometimes referred to as iron overload or the Celtic gene because it is especially common in people of Irish descent,' Kelly says. Alice Kelly. 'In simple terms, my body absorbs too much iron from my diet and doesn't know when to stop taking it in. This excess of iron builds up in the organs, mostly in the liver, but also the heart, pancreas and joints. Over time, the excess iron build-up can cause serious, even life-threatening organ damage.' According to the Irish Haemochromatosis Association , it is a hereditary condition in which excessive amounts of iron are absorbed via the small intestines from foods such as red meat, cereals and some vegetables. The excess iron is deposited in the organs, which may become damaged as a result. Looking back, haemochromatosis was the hidden thread connecting every one of my random symptoms – the fatigue, the stomach pains, the foggy feeling and the low motivation. But I had never even heard of the condition until I was diagnosed — Alice Kelly 'I have to give my parents a lot of the credit for encouraging me to go back to my GP, even when I was convinced I was a lost cause – because eventually, my serum ferritin levels were tested, and they came back alarmingly high. I was recommended to get a genetic test, and that confirmed it. I had two copies of the C282Y gene, meaning I had homozygous hereditary haemochromatosis,' Kelly says. 'I almost cried down the phone to the GP receptionist who gave me the results – I felt so much relief, after four years of thinking I was lazy or just couldn't handle the career that I loved so much. I finally had an answer – and more importantly, a treatable one. 'Looking back, haemochromatosis was the hidden thread connecting every one of my random symptoms – the fatigue, the stomach pains, the foggy feeling and the low motivation. But I had never even heard of the condition until I was diagnosed.' Alice Kelly. Last February, the Kildare woman was referred to a gastroenterologist and placed on a treatment plan, which has seen her quality of life hugely improve. Today, she is doing really well and would encourage anyone else who has symptoms to seek prompt advice. 'The most common treatment for haemochromatosis is venesections, which have very similar methods to blood donation,' she says. 'Every two weeks, I sit in a comfy chair with a needle in my arm and get up to 500ml of blood removed. It sounds medieval, but it works – as after just three venesections, my energy started to come back, my random stomach pains are disappearing and I finally feel a bit more normal. [ Haemochromatosis: it's known as the 'Celtic gene' for good reason Opens in new window ] 'I would advise people not to ignore haemochromatosis. You may not look sick and put your symptoms down to stress or a busy lifestyle, but haemochromatosis can creep up quietly and cause serious damage if it's missed. 'It's not a condition to be scared of, just one to be aware of. The test is as simple as a blood draw and genetic screening – and for those who get diagnosed, I promise the venesection needles are not as scary as the images online.' [ `I had to give about 40 pints of blood to get my iron back down to normal levels' Opens in new window ] Professor John Ryan, consultant hepatologist/gastroenterologist at Beaumont Hospital, says it is important to be aware of the signs. 'If you have two copies of the haemochromatosis gene, you may be at risk of developing iron overload,' he says. 'If haemochromatosis is undiagnosed or untreated, iron overload can lead to organ damage or even premature death. 'Because early symptoms of haemochromatosis such as chronic fatigue, joint pain, abdominal pain (non-specific) and low mood can be non-specific and attributed to many other causes, haemochromatosis can be initially difficult to diagnose. 'Most people don't have any symptoms, as the iron builds up very gradually over years. But if you are experiencing any of these symptoms or you have a history of haemochromatosis in your family, go to your GP and ask for an iron panel test. If your ferritin and/or TSat levels are elevated, a genetic test is recommended to confirm a diagnosis of haemochromatosis.' Alice Kelly. Once diagnosed, the haemochromatosis expert says, treatment can begin. 'The primary treatment consists of the removal of blood (similar to blood donation, only more frequent) at regular intervals until iron levels return to normal,' he says. 'Once normal iron levels are re-established, they can be maintained by periodic blood removal (2-5 times per year, depending on the individual). During this maintenance phase, if eligible, blood can be donated through the Irish Blood Transfusion Service .' About haemochromatosis Hereditary haemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder in Ireland. One in five people are carriers and 1 in 83 are predisposed to developing haemochromatosis. The Irish Haemochromatosis Association estimates there are at least 20,000 undiagnosed cases of haemochromatosis in Ireland. Both women and men are equally at risk of having the condition. Early symptoms may include: Chronic fatigue. Abdominal pain (non-specific). Joint pain, especially in the knuckle and first joint of the first and second fingers. Loss of sex drive. Low mood. Later symptoms may include: Liver disease including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Type II diabetes (adult onset). Hypothyroidism. Disease of the heart muscle and irregular heartbeat.
Irish Daily Mirror
29-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Help us save little Éabha.' Family make appeal for baby's overseas treatment
An Irish family have made an urgent appeal for help as their beloved one-year-old daughter prepares to travel for life-saving treatment overseas - just weeks after they tragically lost their adored three-year-old daughter to the same rare condition. Éabha Duggan, born on June 24, 2024, has been diagnosed with a rare and serious genetic condition that requires a bone marrow transplant – a treatment not currently available in Ireland. Her only option is to travel to Prinses Máxima Centrum in Utrecht, a world-leading specialist children's hospital in the Netherlands. The Duggan family of Mayo and Galway are now making an urgent public appeal for financial support as their one-year-old daughter prepares for the life-saving bone marrow transplant in the coming weeks. For parents Tommy (from Bekan, Claremorris, Mayo) and Martina Duggan (originally from Eyrecourt, Galway), this is an unimaginable second journey down a path of profound sorrow. Their eldest daughter, Saoirse, bravely battled leukaemia after being diagnosed in late 2023. She underwent a bone marrow transplant in February 2024, but tragically, the disease returned months later, and she passed away peacefully on June 15, 2025, surrounded by love. "To face such loss and now fight for another child's life is more than any family should have to bear," says Éabha's aunt, who has launched a fundraising campaign with the family's permission. "While the medical costs for Éabha's transplant are covered by the HSE, the overwhelming financial burden of travel, and related living expenses in the Netherlands falls entirely on the family." Time is critical for Éabha. The "Together for Éabha" GoFundMe campaign has been established in response to the many friends, neighbours, and kind-hearted people who've asked how they can help. This initiative aims to alleviate the significant financial strain, allowing Tommy and Martina to focus solely on their daughter's treatment and recovery. All donations will go directly to the Duggan family to support Éabha's medical care and associated costs. To donate to the fundraiser, head here. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
