A MOTHER has spoken of her heartache as her 26-year-old daughter fights for life in hospital.
Joleen Corr, originally from Beechmount Grove in west Belfast, suffered severe injuries during an incident at a house in Downpatrick last Friday.
It is understood that Ms Corr, who has a two-year-old son, moved to the Co Down town a year and a half ago.
Her mother Carol said she suffered her injuries on her 26th birthday, after she had spent the day with her mother and two teenage sisters having a meal in Belfast to celebrate.
That evening she had also gone to pick up a puppy as a gift for her son for Christmas.
Ms Corr remains in a critical condition in intensive care at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital and has had to undergo emergency surgery to stop a bleed in her brain and relieve pressure.
"It's like a nightmare. I just keep thinking ‘please someone wake me up and tell me it’s not true'," her mother said.
"We’re a very close family, and the nurse came over to explain Joleen’s condition and my two youngest wee girls were here, she was explaining the tubes and all.
"Just trying to softly explain it, because we couldn’t keep them in the dark. They’re going to hear things on the street and they’re going to hear things at school."
Ms Corr described Joleen as a bubbly, outgoing girl.
"She is my oldest, I have four daughters and one son, she’s just a lovely wee girl and she had everything going for, she absolutely idolises her wee son," she said.
"She’s very outgoing, loves life. She loves getting her hair done and her eyebrows done. She loves dancing, she’s was just such a happy-go-lucky wee girl until this happened."
A 30-year-old man, Michael O’Connor of Westrock Grove in Belfast, appeared in the city's magistrate's court on Tuesday charged with attempted murder and was remanded in custody.
