RTE newswoman Una O’Hagan has opened up for the first time about the tragic loss of her son Sean.
Sean sadly passed away at the age of 20, after a battle with cancer nine years ago.
The broadcaster spoke of the devastation herself and husband Colm Hughes felt when their only son passed away on Christmas Day 2007, two years after he had been diagnosed.
Speaking to the RTE guide, Una spoke about the day that Sean died. She told of the love she had for Sean and the privilege she felt at being his mother.
“The day after Sean died, the sun was shining through the window where I lay on the bed. I could feel his absence in the house, this realisation that he was never going to come back.
“Sean was the love of my life, a wonderful child and we were so privileged to have all those years with him,” she said.
When speaking about her grief, the presenter said that there is no other way to handle it other than to get up everyday and get through it, as there is no other option.
“Sometimes people say to us, ‘I don’t know how you got through it’, but really there is no alternative,
“The thing is that the sun rises every single morning and you just have to get through it,” she said.
Despite all this pain, Una spoke of the fact that Sean wanted herself and Colm to get a Labrador named Frankie so that they wouldn’t be lonely, and two years ago they did.
Now the couple say that Frankie is “part of the furniture” and has “brought light into their lives”.
