Singer lost sight in eye over bullying

A budding singer who lost almost all of her sight in one eye after being attacked by teen bullies four years ago says the emotional hurt was worse than the physical injury.

Kayleigh Cullinan, 18, from Kimmage, Dublin, will launch her music career later this month but her eye injury that requires ongoing treatment is a constant reminder of the unprovoked attack in 2010.

Kayleigh was set upon by a girl. She pulled her ponytail with such force that it detached the retina in her right eye.

Earlier this month, Kayleigh had stitches from her last operation removed.

“I was awake when the stitches were taken out of my eye. I could deal with that because the pain only lasted a few minutes,” she said.

“The hurt I felt emotionally after the attack was far worse than any physical injury but I am stronger now.”

Kayleigh, who has just won the title of Ireland’s Newest Country Music Star, will launch a CD and video at the Birds Nest in Bundoran, Co Donegal on September 29. She also won the Singing in the Shower competition on the Derek Money Show on RTÉ Radio 1.

Kayleigh has a tattoo on her foot. ‘Never give up’ is written across two lines of music notes just above her ankle.

“I am not a victim of bullying; I am a survivor and I am a much stronger person now because nothing that ever happens to me in my life will be as bad as that.

Over the last four years Kayleigh has endured 10 eye operations, including a partial transplant.

It was during her recovery, when she had to lie perfectly still for weeks on end with only her iPod for company, that she started to sing.

“I spent so much time lying in bed in my room dreaming and wishing but now I am out living my dreams and taking every opportunity I have been given.

“I would say to anyone who is feeling bad to never give up because there is a world out there. Dream big dreams then make them happen. It’s working for me.”

Kayleigh, who is also an anti-bullying campaigner, has only recently ventured into Dublin city centre to meet friends on her own. Before the attack, Kayleigh wanted to be a vet but was unable to sit her Leaving Certificate.

Her mum, Kathy, said she was an awful lot stronger now.

“In the early days I used to go up to her bedroom and pray that she would still be there. I made a pact with God that I would always look after her if He would leave her with us.”

Kathy said her daughter’s attackers were all under the age of 16.

There were about 12 of them, both boys and girls, and none have apologised to Kayleigh.

There were no prosecutions.

“One of the mothers said her daughter just flipped and that these things happen. That is as close to an apology that I have got,” said Kathy, who has two younger daughters.

“I would have got a lot of comfort from an apology. I know good kids do bad things sometimes and I would have got so much comfort from it.”

Kathy said only one of the girls physically injured her daughter. During the attack Kayleigh was also punched, bitten and spat at.

“I also blame the others who were shouting and egging her on.

“To me they are just as guilty.”

Kathy said she went into a local shop one day with Kayleigh who was wearing black-out glasses at the time.

“Some of the girls who attacked Kayleigh were in the shop and they started humming Three Blind Mice.”

Kathy said Kayleigh had only started living her life again. However, at best, she will only have 10% vision in her right eye.

“When she first asked us if she could sing a song I was delighted. It was the first thing she took an interest in.

“So we set up the microphone in the sitting room and she sang. I was stunned. I could not believe that voice came out of her.

“She hadn’t any voice before that — like any child she could sing, but nothing like I heard that day.”

As a treat for her 16th birthday, Kayleigh was able to record a song professionally.

Her mother later made a video with Kayleigh singing Nella Fantasia in the background and emailed it to friends and family but it was not long before it was uploaded to YouTube.

Kayleigh, who has appeared in a MTV documentary called Bullied, has gone to a number of schools and spoken about bullying.

She has also spoken during at Masses for families affected by suicide.

Kathy said it was not just the publicity that had helped Kayleigh. “A lot of people contacted Kayleigh and said what happened to her was wrong.

“She had been up in her room thinking that she had done something wrong so the public support she got meant a lot. Now she wants people who have been bullied like her to know that no matter how bad things are, they can get better.”