Emma sings to thank Crumlin

AFTER years of gruelling cancer treatment, 11-year-old Emma McCarron decided she wanted to give something back to Crumlin Children’s Hospital.

Long known in her family as the young girl who loves to sing, she had become increasingly aware of the musical vein that runs through her family and decided to ask her Los Angeles-based great-uncle, Colm Gallagher, to pen her a tune.

Gallagher is best known for Reel in the Flickering Light, made famous by Christy Moore, but he has also written for Tommy Makem, the Kilfenora Céilí Band and others.

Last summer, he got some friends to help Emma out. A Lighter Heart was recorded by Emma at David Hayes’s studio in Waterford.

Her father Francis said: “We are delighted to have a record with her voice on it as, we have learnt, you never know what can happen in life.”

In November 2008, Emma, who lives in Monaghan Town, was diagnosed with a rare cancer: Neuroblastoma, a tumour of the chest.

Her illness came to light when she began to complain of pains in her leg. Despite repeated X-rays, the cause of the pain was not established until a paediatrician, on listening to her chest, realised something was amiss in her upper body. A chest X-ray revealed a tumour which had spread to her bones and bone marrow.

Emma underwent 80 days of cancer treatment, with the tumour removed before her stem cells were harvested, her bone was marrow wiped out and then new stem cells transplanted back in.

“Yes, the treatment was a nightmare and Emma was very brave throughout,” said her father. “But you know what, nothing is as bad as the diagnosis as, up to then, your life is a bubble and then suddenly your bubble is burst. We are so thankful to Crumlin and to everybody there for what they did for us. We just wanted to help anyway we could and so Emma came up with the idea of the CD.”

Emma has recovered from the cancer and is back at school and back to a normal life. She attends singing classes at Monaghan Comhaltas and is part of the Monaghan Community Gospel Choir.

The CD can be bought for €5 from emmamccarron.ie and there are plans afoot to make it available via download.