A young man is fighting for his life after being diagnosed with brain cancer in January.
Stephen Kirk has Stage 4 Glioma, a type of tumour that occurs in the brain and spinal cord. The 18-year-old was told that Irish hospitals could only offer him an extra few months with treatment. Proud mother Jean previously told Dublin Live that losing her son "was not an option."
Stephen has since been over and back to Texas where he says doctors have given him a "chance of life". His optimistic spirit in face of adversity at such a young age has blown away everyone.
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The Monaghan native told Dublin Live that he has tried to keep a smile on his face since he received a devastating diagnosis on his birthday. He said: "The doctors came into me on my birthday and they told me I had a mass on the back of my head. I'll never forget it. I was in the middle of eating a breakfast roll. It just completely stumped me.
"I'll never forget the words. They said there was a mass at the back of my head. I threw it in the bin. A few days later, I had my first surgery which was seven hours long. It was an eight centimetre tumour at the time..
"They were going to do the second surgery then which was ten and a half hours to remove more. They wanted to blast the last bit with chemo and radiation but I refused it because it was only going to give me a short life of 12 to 18 months.
"I'm over in America trying to get my life. That was the best they were giving me with treatment. In Texas they literally just offered me life, as silly as it sounds.
"One thing about our family is we don't take things for granted. We always just take the cards that we have been dealt."
He said: "I'm just staying positive. I say to the boys that you couldn't put me down with a shot gun. I'll smile until I can't. As long as I have people behind me, I'll stay fighting.
"I've met true survivors and heroes out in Texas. It'll be ten days to two weeks for the next round of treatment."
Jean has just been blown away by Stephen's resilience over the past few months. She said: "He is amazing. He is positive. He just says that we have got this. I am panicking because I'm trying to save my child's life."
You can donate towards Stephen's potentially life-saving treatment here.
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