The crèche worker hailed a hero for her intervention during the Dublin stabbing attack has been moved out of ICU according to a report published in Dublin Live, with sources confirming to the news outlet that her condition is improving.
Leanne Flynn Keogh has become known across Ireland for her heroic intervention during the horror stabbing attack outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire last Thursday, during which she used her body as a human shield to protect the children she was caring for.
The care worker intervened to save young children from the knifeman during the harrowing attack in Dublin’s Parnell Square. The children, who were lining up to enter the afterschool crèche when the attack unfolded, were defended by Ms Keogh – after she saw the attacker stab one of the children.
She was repeatedly stabbed after she interjected to defend the child, and was reported to be in a serious condition.
Dublin Live reports that sources have confirmed her condition had improved enough for her to be moved from ICU to a high dependency unit.
There has been a huge outpouring of support for the care worker, who has earned the title, ‘Angel of Parnell Squarr,’ with a Go Fund Me set up to raise funds for Ms Keogh and the children impacted raising over €250,000. The crowdfunder describes her as a “hero,” with the effort set up by a parent at the school who knows Ms Keogh personally.
The fundraiser explains how Ms Keogh “bravely put herself in front of so many children so they could run to safety, while putting her own life at risk.”
The parent, who has two children at the small Irish-speaking school, paid tribute to Ms Keogh as “nothing short of a superhero,” adding that “we will be forever grateful to her.”
“This lady took her role as the protector of the children seriously. What a heroine! Wishing her and the children a speedy recovery,” one GoFundMe supporter wrote, while another praised her selflessness, writing:
“To the selfless career Leanne, wishing you a speedy recovery on what I am sure is a long road ahead – what a brave woman protecting those children’s lives,”
Ms Keogh has been in the Mater Hospital’s intensive care unit since the attack unfolded, during which she was stabbed in the chest after confronting the attacker. After attacking Ms Keogh, the knifeman proceeded to stab two more children, according to reports.
However, thanks to the intervention of three individuals, Warren Donohoe, Alan Loren-Guille, and delivery driver Caio Benico, the assailant was subdued from causing further damage.
The five-year-old girl seriously injured in the incident, meanwhile, remains in Temple Street Children’s Hospital, and is critically ill – while the two other children injured in the attack, a six year old girl and a boy aged 5, have both been discharged from the hospital after suffering less serious injuries.
Social media saw an outpouring of support and relief last night, as news broke that Ms Keogh had been moved from intensive care.
People expressed their best wishes to “courageous” Ms Keogh, while many said they were continuing to pray for the crèche worker and the injured child still in hospital.