EDITORIAL: Having never met Danny, I know he loved pandas!
What a hero!
Many readers will not have known Danny Norris; except for what they’ve read about him and his family on the pages of The Nationalist.
Having never met Danny, I know he loved pandas. I’ve seen pictures of Danny, the same ones you’ve seen, and he looked kind, with a good soul; it was in his face, in his eyes, in his warm smile.
Danny passed away last week at his family home surrounded by his loved ones; he was seven-years-old.
His parents had to fight to get him home, because in the area they live in, there is no paediatric palliative home care package for children.
It has been denied to families and their loved ones since the service was withdrawn five years ago in the South East.
It’s hard to imagine what the Norris family are going through. The grief, the sheer pain of losing a child must be intolerable.
The family spoke some words to The Nationalist back in 2021.
The article read:
The contented family life of the Norris family, who live in Glasha between Newcastle and Ballymacarbry about eight miles from Clonmel, was thrown into turmoil in July 2020.
Danny was diagnosed with stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma, a cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. His mother Lisa said: “Danny rarely complains despite the pain and discomfort. He really is a little trooper who takes each day and each new challenge in his stride. As parents we could not be prouder of Danny and his two big brothers Charlie and Shay.
“Danny shows unbelievable strength and courage every day. His hearty laugh and smiley face have kept us all going through some difficult days. He loves stories and colouring, his favourite animals are pandas and turtles. He will always have a soft toy of either under his arm for the hospital visits.”
The world is a lesser place with Danny not in it; that’s a fact.
How a young boy could face such adversity, so bravely, is staggering.
He truly was a special boy.
May he Rest in Peace.