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Mourners told Rebecca Gibney (14) 'radiated love and joy'

Requiem Mass for Rebecca Gibney (14) took place at St Matthew's Church in east Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell
Requiem Mass for Rebecca Gibney (14) took place at St Matthew's Church in east Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell Requiem Mass for Rebecca Gibney (14) took place at St Matthew's Church in east Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell

MOURNERS at the funeral of an east Belfast teenager were told yesterday how she "radiated love and joy into the world".

Rebecca Gibney, who was 14, died at her home at Madrid Street in the Short Strand area on St Stephen's Day.

The teenager, who suffered from cerebral palsy, epilepsy and was also blind, made headlines in March last year when global superstar Adele visited her home.

The Rolling In The Deep singer spent an hour at Rebecca's bedside and posed for cherished photos.

The teenager's mother, Tracey, described the visit as a "dream come true" for her daughter.

Despite being told on several occasions that Rebecca had only months to live, the little girl defied the odds and survived into her teens.

Family and friends yesterday gathered at St Matthew's Church for Requiem Mass.

Parish priest Fr Peter Carlin said Rebecca was "one of those people who turned her dreams in the face of adversity into a bright reality by radiating a lot of love and joy into the world".

"She was the light of her family, a light that shone brightly to the very end, a light that still shines brightly, a light similar to the Christ winter light that continues to radiate from the manger during these 12 days of Christmas," he said.

Fr Carlin said Rebecca "never left her bed but she visited the world".

Following the visit from Adele, "for a moment, the veil was lifted over Rebecca's life and her light shone out whether it was through local media or Sky News or Harper's Bazaar or Vanity Fair, from Belfast with love, from Short Strand with love, a light that surely radiated from Belfast to Berlin and maybe even Beirut and maybe even to Baghdad".

"Rebecca's love touched so many hearts and gave people hope, especially those with children with special needs so that they no longer would feel isolated and cut off," he said.

"Anyone who ever visited Rebecca in her room was struck by the impressions of bright colour and lights and music, by the bows she wore and of course by her nails, painted a different colour every week.

"The explanation for Rebecca's stellar life was love, a love she received from her beloved mother, Tracey and beloved sister, Joanna, and the love she gave back to them in large amounts."

Following Requiem Mass, Rebecca was laid to rest in Roselawn Cemetery.