Тринадцатилетняя девочка с двумя протезами готовится вернуться в школу после тяжелой аварии

One year after losing both of her legs in a devastating farm accident in West Cork, an “upbeat” Féile O’Sullivan, 13, is preparing to return to school. Féile’s future had seemed uncertain, but, following months of complex care at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin Hospital and the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH), things have improved for the sports-mad 13-year-old. Féile’s mother, Maureen, has been at her side, only taking short breaks to return home to Allihies for work. “Things have really changed; she is unbelievable,” Maureen said ahead of the anniversary. “She’s just being a teenager, to be honest; she’s upbeat and still extremely positive. She’s looking forward to school in September.” Videos of Féile playing sports, especially horse riding and GAA, had tugged at heartstrings when the accident happened. Now, as Maureen spoke, she kept one eye on Féile racing the NRH corridors in her powered wheelchair with her friends. Maureen said: “She’s been doing wheelchair rugby, basketball, boccia.” A prosthetic leg was recently added to her armoury. “And, actually, she was doing table tennis the last day; she was standing up doing it. It was cool to see. She’s doing basically anything that’s available; she’s going to try out some wheelchair hurling now as well,” Maureen added. Maureen was thrilled to tears to stand and hug her daughter, with no wires or chair between them. “She’s all set to go to school; she’s been getting so much better since this day last year, realistically,” Maureen said. Grant applications have been submitted for adaptations in the school. The teenager has had “maybe 100” complex surgeries, involving dozens of healthcare workers, with more scheduled to come later. “She’s looking forward to spending some time with her friends, instead of being with them in a hospital,” Maureen said. “She’s hoping to spend some real time with them now in August.” Her dogs, including a new puppy, are another draw. The Stand 4 Féile fundraising effort, which was led by her hometown, spread around the world last year, bringing financial and emotional support. “It was phenomenal. There’s community, and then there’s that,” Maureen said. A committee of four volunteers in the town started it off. This multiplied to cake sales, cycle races, vintage threshing, pub quizzes, bullock sales and more, as well as support from dozens of sports clubs. A quilt came from Butte, Montana, where Allihies ties lie deep, thanks to decades of emigration to the mines there. Foundations go down this month for a specially adapted house near the family farm, also with financial support. Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington estimated that donations came to €1m before a GoFundMe was replaced with a managed trust fund. The car Maureen drives from the NRH to Crumlin every weekend came from this fund, too. The NRH closes to paediatric in-patients every weekend, so they transfer to CHI at Crumlin for tests and accommodation. Maureen pauses as she thinks about all of it. “It’s Féile’s birthday next week, and when you think this time last year we had a prayer service for her birthday,” she said. She recalls watching a video of the singing during the service, saying: “I had goosebumps from it; everyone there was just being so hopeful.” Now, watching Féile play tag, she said: “Her smile makes you forget everything else. It will be nice now to go back to Cork.”