A CO Antrim woman who lost her teenage daughter to cancer hopes that a charity music single released in her memory will "inspire others on a similar journey".
Anna Kearns from Cargan was just 18 when she died last August.
Following her death, her mother Aine has worked with singer/songwriter Rebekah Fitch to create a single featuring meaningful lyrics that express what Anna meant to her.
The single, 'Anna’s Light', has been released to mark National Grief Awareness Week which begins today and to raise funds for the Cancer Fund for Children.
"I want Anna to be remembered as a gentle warrior with a pure heart, who fought to live, valiantly with everything she had each day of her life," said Ms Kearns.
Described as a "happy, carefree child who adored life and lived each day with love in her heart", Anna was just seven when she was first diagnosed with a grade four malignant brain tumour, medulloblastoma, along with hydrocephalus.
She underwent aggressive treatment including surgeries, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, which left her having to learn how to walk again.
The treatments proved successful and Anna went into remission for 10 years, during which time she obtained her GCSEs and went on to study performing arts.
But in 2019, the cancer returned and it had spread to her spine and organs. Palliative care was all that was available to her, as the cancer had advanced.
During her illness, Anna was supported by Cancer Fund for Children and their cancer support specialists who offered her care at home and also provided emotional support during therapeutic breaks.
Ms Kearns said the music single, released by Cancer Fund for Children, will honour Anna's memory and raise money for the charity.
She said she hopes the lyrics, which include, 'you were in so love with life' and 'you left the world more beautiful to me', will "inspire others to find the beauty in life even during the toughest of times".
"I hope when people here the lyrics that they will be lifted and supported, having the awareness that no matter how hard and cruel this journey is, there is always light," she said.
"I hope that the light Anna was inspires people to never, ever give up, to see the beauty even through the darkness, and know that they are never alone....
"She had a passion for life and for animals, which she saw as her equals. Anna possessed a quiet and determined inner fierceness, which carried her through incredibly tough times.
"She is an inspiration to all who knew her and has touched hearts just by being her."
For information, please visit justgiving.com/campaign/AnnasLight
