BY CHRIS MCNULTY

A young boy who was diagnosed in June of last year as having a brain tumour, got the perfect birthday present on Tuesday night when he got the chance to meet the Donegal Senior Football team and the National Football League trophy.

Sean Meehan, who will celebrate his sixth birthday on Wednesday next, June 20th, has been travelling to Our Lady's Hospital Dublin and Sligo General Hospital for treatment since the tumour was discovered 12 months ago.

Speaking to the Donegal News this week, Sean's mother Kate told of how the discovery was first made: "It was first noticed when he fell a few times playing outside. He would come in and say that he had fallen," she remembered.

"We took him to our Doctor, Austin O'Kennedy, and he sent him over to Letterkenny. When he was in Letterkenny, they sent him onto Beaumont up in Dublin and they discovered that he had a tumour.

"When Sean was diagnosed as having a brain tumour, we were told that they couldn't operate on him. They said that the only hope was to send him for chemotherapy and they would hope to stop the growth or maybe even reduce it.

"He has been up and down to Crumlin and Sligo General for treatment since and that treatment is ongoing. It will be ongoing for the next six months or so, but he is doing good at the moment."

SHOCK

She says that the discovery came as a huge shock to the family.

"It was most definitely a big shock for us. One minute he was out running mad and then the next this happened. You never think that you will be told that sort of news. He has been getting treatment through the year and will keep getting it for the next few months and hopefully he will be okay now."

Sean, who attends Scoil an Linbh Íosa in Killymard, is a keen football fan and is looking forward to getting a set of new goalposts for his birthday this week, but meeting his idols from the Donegal squad on Tuesday night was undoubtedly the present to top the lot.

It was his aunt Bríd who organised for him to make the trip to O'Donnell Park to meet the Donegal team as they prepared for training ahead of their game with Tyrone this weekend.

The young Donegal Town man looks up to his fellow townsmen on the Donegal squad and there is no shortage of Four Masters representatives. Paul Durcan, Barry Dunnion, Karl Lacey, Barry Monaghan, Michael Doherty and Benny Byrne are all involved in the squad while Michael Kelly (selector) and Sean's own doctor, Austin O'Kennedy form part of the backroom team.

"It was a total surprise to us because we didn't know until early on Tuesday that it would be happening," said Kate.

"It was absolutely brilliant because it was recorded with the camera and it is something that we will always have. He would definitely have been telling his friends about it in school the next day."

Sean was presented with a signed football and signed jersey. They will be kept close by his side on Sunday as he sits down to cheer on Donegal.