The 11-year-old author of a book about battling cancer was remembered as “pure gold and a real treasure” at her funeral Mass yesterday.
Mourners packed Raheen Church, Limerick, for the emotional farewell to Becky Macauley, who died last Friday of brain cancer. Among the symbols of her life presented at the Mass was the diary she kept of her illness, The Little Girl with the Big Headache, which was recently published.
Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon paid tribute to the girl whose book raised money for the Children’s Oncology Fund at Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.
Last June, Limerick County Council honoured Becky with a civic reception for her bravery in her struggle with the illness.
In his homily, Fr Fitzgibbon compared her courage to that of Olympic boxing champion Katie Taylor. He said just like Taylor, she always had her family in her corner.
Mike Macauley told mourners his daughter was “clever beyond belief” and hugs and kisses were a huge part of her life. “Most of us, if not all of us here, have been hugged by her at some stage.”
He joked how his wife Mary could never get their youngest child to stop talking, even when she was brushing her teeth.