DEIRDRE QUINLAN did not waste time celebrating after she received her massive settlement in the High Court in Cork yesterday. She returned to school to finish an art project on Newcastle United.
Deirdre, who is now aged 16, suffered horrific injuries six years ago when her nightdress, bought in Dunnes Stores, burst into flames as she leaned across the fire in her home to save her baby brother from toppling into it.
Her body, from her face to her knees, was burned but despite the horror of the accident, she has succeeded in getting on with her life and overcoming all obstacles.
Deirdre is a star pupil in St Brogan's Secondary School in Bandon and she insisted that her parents, Catherine and Martin, drive her back there yesterday.
"I remember everything about the hospital and I know I was lucky to survive" Deirdre said.
Obviously proud of the manner in which Deirdre has coped with her horrific injuries, Mrs Quinlan said all she wanted was for her daughter to survive and live.
"I still have nightmares when I think of that night. Deirdre had a bath and I was in the bathroom when I heard her scream. I rushed and she was in the hallway enveloped in flames. It is a sight I will never forget and I would not wish it on my worst enemy."
Her mother said the fire was so intense that the nightdress and dressing gown were melting and the flames were dropping everywhere Deirdre went. The carpet in the living room went on fire as a result.
"In a sense it was lucky Deirdre headed for the hallway because if she ran towards the window the house would have burned down. It was horrific," said Mrs Quinlan.
"I caught her and pulled her into the kitchen where Sinead, my other daughter, threw a pot full of water over her. I was burned on my hands and legs trying to put out the flames. I rushed for help as we do not have a telephone.
"It took the ambulance an hour and a half to arrive because the Clonakilty one was out on a call and it had to come from Skibbereen. We were terrified and feared that Deirdre would die. She was slipping in and out of consciousness and was in great pain," Mrs Quinlan said.
The couple spent many long hours in the hospital where Deirdre's life hung by a thread. Even after she began to make a recovery in the burns isolation unit, she had to be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit for treatment for severe smoke inhalation.
When Deirdre was discharged from hospital her first concern was to start living as normal a life as possible. "I decided I had to be positive and my friends have been great. When I go shopping in Cork, I see people staring at me, but I am not embarrassed. I am lucky to be alive and here in St Brogan's they have all accepted me as I am.
"And with £300,000 I will now be able to get cosmetic surgery, when the time is right for my face," she added.