Carlow's Amber and Lauryn overcame huge obstacles to successfully sit leaving cert

LAURYN Webster (18) and Amber O’Rourke (18), who both attended Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach, had the best day on Friday when they received their leaving cert results.

Both young women overcame unimaginable challenges to sit the state exam. Lauryn, who has been receiving treatment for a brain tumour since 2022, and Amber, who had a stroke and kidney failure as a child that left her without the use of one hand and needing a transplant, both achieved excellent results in their exams last week.

“I didn’t want my illness to stop me from achieving what I wanted,” Lauryn said.

In January 2022, Lauryn was diagnosed with a brain tumour, the treatment for which has included multiple brain surgeries, chemotherapy and ongoing targeted treatment. Her illness, surgeries and side effects of treatments have resulted in her missing quite a lot of school over the past four years.

“I have had a lot of support from the school for my fatigue and hair loss while trying to keep up with schoolwork,” Lauryn said. “The school gave me extra support classes and I had my own room to sit the exams in to be more comfortable.” Despite her illness and the side effects of her treatments, Lauryn chose not to delay her exams. With her immune system so vulnerable after treatments, she often wore a mask on the days that she went into school and regularly had bloodwork done to monitor her infection levels.

“I was absolutely thrilled when I got my leaving certificate results,” Lauryn said.

Still not keen to take a break, Lauryn hopes to study at DCU in September, reading human development and music.

“My end goal is to become a music therapist to give to others the support that I got from the hospitals I attended,” Lauryn said.

When Amber was only five years old, she suffered a stroke that left her without the use of her left hand and kidney failure, which resulted in her being on dialysis for years as she waited for a transplant. Thankfully, she received a kidney in 2017 when family friend Anne Marie Byrne donated one of hers. To this day, Amber’s complex medical needs mean that she has to be closely monitored.

“Going through school, I needed extra help, but I had loads of support from my vice-principal and my SNA (special needs assistant),” Amber said.

Like Lauryn, Amber was given her own room in school to sit her exams, which she said was a great help.

“I didn’t have the stress of being in a room with my whole year while doing the leaving certificate,” Amber said. “I suppose that the leaving certificate was not the point for me, it was just about being healthy enough to do it and being able to finish school.” Next month, Amber hopes to begin a degree in business management at SETU Carlow.

“That will be exciting,” Amber said. “I am from Carlow, so to have a university on my doorstep is very handy.” Orlagh Ní Fhaoláin, príomhoide of Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach said: “We are immensely proud of Amber O’Rourke and Lauryn Webster, two remarkable young women who have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of significant personal and medical challenges.”