The 2nd Wicklow Garda Youth Awards took place on Saturday the 4th of February in the Grand Hotel, Wicklow town.
The awards were sponsored by the County Wicklow Partnership and were hosted by Today FM DJ Philip Cawley.
For the next 19 days Wicklownews.net will post a picture and bio of one of the winning recipients starting with Michael O’Brien from Bray.
14 year old student from Presentation College Bray.
Michael was nominated by one of his teachers Glenda Keeley.
Michael has been bravely battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia for a year now.
Because of the type of Leukaemia standard treatment would not have been successful so Michael has had to undergo a bone marrow transplant. After 7 months of receiving chemo-therapy Michael went to hospital in August for conditioning treatment. This involved receiving basically a year’s worth of chemotherapy in just four days followed by 8 sessions of radio therapy. Michael had total body irradiation.
This treatment was necessary in order to kill off Michael’s own bone marrow to make room for the new donor marrow. Michael missed as little school as possible last year and when out was always very eager to return.
His teachers and fellow students are incredibly proud of Michael and are in complete awe of how bravely he has faced every challenge. Michael made it his mission to educate himself on every medical procedure he had to endure and research every medication he was to take. Michael now wishes to become a doctor which doesn’t surprise anyone that knows him.
Michael is incredibly grateful to his donor for giving him this chance of life and although he has a long road ahead of him he is a positive and determined young man. Everyone who knows Michael is incredibly proud of him and wishes him nothing but happiness and health in his future.
Full list of award winners
Special achievement category, Michael O’Brien, Martina Conyard, Rachel Casey, Lee Timmons, Timothy and Christopher Hopkins.
Individual category, Jeremy O’Donovan, Shannon Franey, Eireann O’Sullivan, Luke Power, Chloe Gilmore, Joe Dempsey, Sinead Roche and Molly Comish.
Group category, Glenealy Foroige Youth Club, Greystones Community Summer Project, Seomra Youth Centre in Bray, Newtownmountkennedy Senior Youth Group, Arklow Sea Venture Scout Unit and Marc Brady and Rachel Crimes from Colaiste Chraobh Abhainn in Kilcoole.
