(LifeSiteNews) — Donal Walsh, a 16-year-old who died from cancer, inspired thousands to appreciate the sacredness and beauty of life, including now Pope Leo XIV.
In a May 10 interview with RTE Radio, Elma Walsh revealed that Pope Leo XIV, then Father Robert Prevost, was so inspired by her son Donal, who was battling cancer, that he made the 16-year-old an honorary Augustinian days before his death in 2013.
“Now Pope Leo made him (Donal) an associate member of the Augustinians, which means really that Donal is remembered in all the Augustinian Masses,” Elma revealed.
Shortly before Donal’s death, his mother reached out to his uncle, who was an Augustinian priest, to ask if Donal could be made an honorary Augustinian. His uncle asked his superior, Father Prevost, the order’s prior general who was likewise inspired by the teenager’s story.
Just two days before his death, Donal was made an honorary Augustinian under the direction of the current pontiff.
Donal’s battle with cancer began in 2009 after a tumor was found in his leg at the young age of 12. While he received chemotherapy, it eventually spread to his lung and became terminal in 2013.
Donal, a typical teenager and rugby fan, was initially upset by his diagnosis. However, his mother revealed that he quickly decided he was not going to allow his illness to dictate his life. Instead, he resolved to live the remainder of his life to its fullest.
Around the same time, Ireland experienced a growing number of youth and teenagers committing suicide, leading Donal to speak out regarding the sacredness of life.
“I feel angry that these people choose to take their lives, to ruin their families and to leave behind a mess that no one can clean up,” Donal wrote in a letter. “Yet here I am with no choice, trying as best I can to prepare my family and friends for what’s about to come and leave as little a mess as possible.”
In 2013, just weeks before he died, Donal appeared on the RTE, Ireland’s National Television and Radio Broadcaster, to appeal to young people to recognize the importance of their lives and to reach out for support.
“I see God is giving me this challenge,” Donal explained, “(that) I may be used as a symbol for other people to appreciate life more.”
While Donal himself was suffering from cancer, he used his last weeks on earth to appeal to young people to recognize the beauty and sacredness of their own lives.
“I just didn’t want them to see suicide as a solution to any of life’s problems,” he said. “It hurts me to see them think about it, to see it among their friends, but it kills me because I’m here fighting for my life for the third time.”
“I’ve no say in anything, and I’m still here waking up every day and then they think that they have a problem and this might be a solution, that does make me angry,” Donal declared.
However, Donal was hopeful that his suffering could inspire and give hope to those struggling with suicidal thoughts.
“If I meant to be a symbol for people to appreciate life, it mightn’t be just suicide in particular but just to appreciate life more in general, then I’d be happy to die if that’s what I’m dying for,” he declared.
Donal succumbed to his cancer on May 12, 2013. However, his legacy lived on as suicide rates in Donal’s County of Kerry dropped significantly, as his suffering inspired young people to seek the help they needed and to realize the sacredness of their lives.
