LAUREN MONAGHAN

YVONNE MONAGHAN, 47, lives in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, with her daughter Lauren, 17. She says: ‘LAUREN was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumour when she was 12. Her oncologist recommended she have proton beam therapy in the US — it’s specialised radiotherapy that can’t be done here. After that first US trip in November 2013 we got involved with CFC and Daisy Lodge and it is amazing the support they have provided.

As a young teenager Lauren wasn’t able to go to school, she was isolated from her friends. Her tumour is stable now, but she has been left with long-term medical complications. Our residential breaks in Daisy Lodge are like going from one family to another. They welcome you and embrace you. It’s just a haven of tranquility. They provide therapeutic reflexology, back massage, one-toone counselling. You meet other families going through a cancer diagnosis and Lauren has met other teenagers who understand.

This week she has been invited down to stay in Narnia, which is a log cabin on the Daisy Lodge complex. They do a range of activities — canoeing, arts and crafts, camping, building camp fires — and have group sessions on how to cope with their issues. She looks forward to it so much and gets so much out of it.

When I go down there I have reflexology, back massage, I can get my nails done. When you’re caring for a child you forget yourself as a person, you don’t get time out for yourself.

I really appreciate the Rory Foundation and the CFC, which will continue to support Lauren until she’s 24. Lauren met Rory when he went down to open Daisy Lodge and she had a selfie with him. He was just so lovely to chat to. We’re very humbled by everything he has done for us.’