What an absolute role model she is to all of us.
An 11-year-old girl has been honoured for her heroic actions during the stabbing attack that took place outside a school in Dublin city centre last November.
There were four victims of the attack – a five-year-old boy, two girls aged five and six and adult care worker Leanne Flynn Keogh – that occurred shortly after 1.30pm outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire in Parnell Square East on 23 November.
Ms Keogh and two of the children have been discharged from hospital, while the five-year-old girl was recently readmitted to ICU after suffering “a bit of a setback”.
Helping to prevent further casualties during the incident was Warren Donoghue, who tackled and restrained the attacker alongside Brazilian delivery driver Caio Benicio and French trainee chef Alan Loren-Guille.
However, as Irish autism charity As I Am notes, Donoghue’s 11-year-old autistic daughter Abigail Donoghue also played a crucial role that day.
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11-year-old girl honoured for heroic actions during Dublin stabbings
“When Abigail vanished for half an hour during the attack, her family feared for the worst,” the charity said in a statement.
“However, Abigail had run around the corner to the Rotunda Hospital to alert staff that three children and care worker Leanne Flynn Keogh required immediate medical attention.”
Hailing from Wicklow, Abigail and her family had been in Dublin to celebrate her 11th birthday.
Honouring the 11-year-old with a community award for her bravery, As I Am CEO Adam Harris stated:
“Last November after the awful stabbings in Dublin, Abigail ran to the Rotunda Hospital to raise the alarm and seek help.
“So often autistic people are seen as simply service recipients as opposed to those actively giving service within the community.
“This is why we felt it was important to recognise her contribution on that most awful of days in November.
“We think Abigail is a real role model not just within the autistic community but for all young people. Her courage is a testament to how the very worst of human actions, can bring about the very best of human kindness.”
Main images via Instagram/AsIAmIreland
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