by Kathy Masterson
THE parents of Monaleen pharmacy student Jemma O’Sullivan, who was tragically killed in a car accident in 2010 aged just 22, have sponsored a special award at the University of Sunderland to leave a lasting legacy for their daughter.
Vincent and Margaret O’Sullivan this week presented the Jemma O’Sullivan award for care and compassion in the practice of pharmacy to student Haihua Sih.
Vincent said it was “great for the whole family to know that Jemma’s legacy will live on at Sunderland through this award. She was very focused on caring for others; compassion was what she was all about.
“For us, the award is very important. It’s a way for us to celebrate what Jemma wanted to do in life and we felt she was here today in some shape or form, sitting in the stand watching the graduation ceremony.”
Jemma was killed when a lorry crashed into the vehicle in which she was travelling near Doncaster in the UK in September 2010. The lorry driver was jailed for five years for causing death by dangerous driving.
Since the tragedy, Jemma’s family and friends have kept her memory alive by engaging in fundraising activities. They have raised more than €100,000 to support a HIV/AIDS hospice pharmacy in South Africa, as Jemma had previously volunteered at a HIV hospice creche.
Vincent and Margaret also set up a new initiative called ‘Jemma Bear’ in conjunction with South Yorkshire Police. Vincent explained: “Some 500 teddy bears have been produced in memory of Jemma and will be used by police family liaison officers across South Yorkshire to comfort children involved in collisions on the road.”
