Sports star says ‘Faith and family’ give her strength

Irish sports star Ciara Mageean has said “Faith and family mean a lot to me” and that it is important people have something in their lives they can “look towards for that little bit of strength”.

She said her Faith is part of who she is – something she drew from her grandmother who died of cancer.

In an interview with RTÉ, Mrs Mageean said: “I was visiting her one day in the hospital and I could tell she was praying so I didn’t go in behind the curtain, I said I’d wait and let her finish the Rosary. She asked could she have the strength to make it through her next scan, because it was that painful.

“That moment meant a lot to me because she didn’t pray that it wouldn’t hurt her, she just asked for strength.”