"Her face haunts me to this day"

Bangor woman, Sandra Rafferty, the Good Samaritan has been haunted by the image of a Shankill bomb victim's terrible injuries for the past decade. Sandra was spending a normal Saturday afternoon on October 23, 1993, when the IRA brought terror to the busy Shankill Road. Sandra, 49, was shopping with her daughter, Gayle, and was one of the first people to witness the bloody carnage, and destruction of the IRA bomb. As the people of the Shankill searched for survivors, amid the ruin of Frizzell's fishmongers, the former social worker went to the aid of Eileen Lowe, whose lip was blown off in the blast. Eileen was a passenger in a black taxi passing the shop, when the blast ripped through the building. She was caught up in the bomb with her mother, niece and 22-month-old son.
Her mother and son survived the attack, but were injured. Mrs Rafferty, provided first aid to the woman, before she was rushed to the Mater Hospital for emergency surgery. The Co Down woman has been haunted by the injuries to Ms Lowe's face for the last 10 years, and opened up her heart to Sunday Life, in a bid to track down the woman she helped, in 1993. With the 10th anniversary of the massacre next Thursday, the Bangor mum is desperate to locate Ms Lowe. Said Sandra: "When this time of year comes around, I always think about the woman I helped that awful day on the Shankill. "I haven't spoke about it before, but I thought maybe the time was right, considering it is the 10th anniversary of the bomb. "I remember that day, as if it was yesterday. I rushed to the woman's aid, and couldn't believe the injuries she received. "The image of this woman's face has haunted me for the last 10 years, and I often think about her and the atrocity. "I just hope the woman is still alive, because I would love to meet her, and ask her how she has been coping." Ms Lowe spoke to a Sunday Life reporter about her injuries, shortly after the blast.
She said: "I honestly thought I had lost half my face. All I wanted to do was save my wee boy. "My mother and niece were also there. Everyone was in a terrible state. It was total chaos. "We dragged ourselves out of the taxi. We were completely stunned by it all. All I can remember thinking there were people a lot worse than me." Sunday Life

"Lest we forget"