Hero Daniel lifts spirits for Rebel Week

Young Daniel Collins was the real hero yesterday as he was joined by some of Cork’s top sports stars to launch Rebel Week.

The brave three-year-old, who survived a deadly lung infection, beamed with delight as he released dozens of balloons at a “Meet your heroes” event at Cork Institute of Technology — first official event of the city and county’s flagship Gathering event.

Daniel, from Hollyhill, contracted the deadly Adenovirus 14 infection, commonly known as the killer cold virus, when he was just a week old.