HOLLYWOOD legend Colin Farrell met some real-life Donegal heroes in Dublin this week.
Colin took the time out of his busy schedule to meet with a group of children who suffer from Mitochondrial Disease and their families who are members of the Katie Rose Foundation.
Katie Rose Rodgers, from Arranmore, lost her eight-month battle with mitochondrial disease in December, and her family have set up a foundation to help others.
It is the first official Foundation in Ireland to raise awareness of the needs and challenges endured daily by the sufferers of Mitochondrial Disease and their families.
Katie Rose’s parents Fiona and Sean were joined by Letterkenny couple Ashling and Colm Nibbs and their six-year-old son Órán, Gina Grant, also from Letterkenny, and her son Francis (6), Lillian and Emily Russell from Wicklow and Gráinne and Eoin O’Sullivan from Cork.
Speaking to the Donegal News, Ashling Nibbs said that Colin was visibly moved and showed a deep sense of empathy on hearing the story of Katie’s life and death.
“Looking at Katie’s photo he quietly said ‘she’s absolutely beautiful’ and in that moment he wasn’t a Hollywood superstar – he was a father, a human being,” she said.
“He was genuinely shocked to learn that there is currently no Mitochondrial specialist in the country. He was dismayed at the lengthy delay involved in accurate diagnosis.”

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