The family of the young girl seriously injured in the Parnell Square attack have said she is making “great progress” one year on from the incident.
In the latest update on the family’s GoFundMe page, the family said they have decided not to “remember the tragedy” and instead focus on “rebirth, triumph, resilience”.
They said they experience “at least a dozen emotions throughout the day” as they think of her.
The family also thanked “everyone” for the “love and support over these 12 months”, asking those who have supported them to, “hug your loved ones extra tight”.
"Extreme limitations"
“It is tough,” they wrote.
“So much has happened and our little girl has endured so much, yet she still manages to bolster a smile, even when crying.
“Granny says she doesn't know if she laughs or if she cries.”
The little girl’s mother says her and her husband “have had to relearn how to be a parent”, noting that “it is different parenting altogether”.
“She has had to relearn being a child, with extreme limitations,” the family wrote.
“She cannot move or communicate as she used to, so she has to understand the meaning of patience.
“It takes a lot out of her to lift her arms but she is a warrior and she does it.”
Temple Street Children's Hospital, Dublin. Image: George Carter / AlamyThe family “strongly believe”, despite medical reports and assessments, that their little girl “understands everything” they say to her.
They are “on the stretch for home” where they’ll “get to make” their schedule and allow their “pace to dictate activities”.
“2025 will be a brand new experience, another one we will also have to adapt to,” the update read.
According to the family, the little girl has made “great progress” and they “don’t wish her to stop”.
“Only time will truly tell,” the family wrote.
“Some people with acquired brain injuries have still shown change and improvement up to 10 years later - we've got time.”
They noted the incident has been “a lot to take in” for “all of those involved”.
Recovery
In September the child was moved to a new hospital, which the family described as “really inspiring”.
Her transfer came after she was officially discharged from Temple Street Children's Hospital.
She spent 281 days in Temple Street after she was stabbed in the attack outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square.
The family has previously announced that she will have to “relearn everything” as she continues her recovery.
The attack also saw two other young children and a carer injured.
50-year-old Riad Bouchaker has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and is currently before the courts.
Gardaí at the scene where a woman and three children were attacked in Parnell Square in Dublin, 23-11-2023. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews
