Jim Dornan saved my baby and me
Gran tells of professor’s quick actions in birth emergency 40 years ago
A former patient of the late Professor Jim Dornan has praised him for saving her life and the life of her baby after her labour went catastrophically wrong.
Eleanor Girvan has paid tribute to Prof Dornan following his death earlier this week, explaining that she now has six grandchildren who would not be alive today if it was not for the intervention by the celebrated obstetrician.
Mrs Girvan, a retired teacher from Cregagh, was giving birth to her second child, Cecily, at the Royal Belfast Hospital 40 years ago when Prof Dornan realised that the baby was struggling and he needed to step in to save her life.
“It was such a shock at the time because it was just a normal labour, everything was going ahead as normal,” said Mrs Girvan.
“It was the middle of the night when everything went haywire and the room filled with lots of people.
“They couldn’t find Cecily’s heartbeat, the cord was wrapped around her throat, so I was rushed up to theatre for an emergency section and I noticed the person taking me was Jim.
“I knew his face and he recognised mine and it turns out we knew each other from the bar at the City Hospital.
“In those days, there was a bar in the hospital and all the students from Queen’s and doctors and nurses and people living in Stranmillis would go there.
“He was a lovely man, really good fun when we would see him out, he really enjoyed life, but from the moment he was looking after me, he was so reassuring and professional.
“He really calmed me down, he told me I would be fine and I wasn’t to worry and he even joked with me that I would be able to wear a bikini afterwards.
“That was really the last time I saw his face before Cecily was born.
“Afterwards, he noticed that I was haemorrhaging and he opened me back up and sorted that out.
“He came and saw me the next day and told me a bit about what happened. He apologised that Cecily was so bruised but he said they just had to get her out as quickly as possible, but he didn’t go into too much detail.
“It was only when I was speaking to another doctor later that he told me that it was actually Jim who had noticed my internal bleeding and he had dealt with it, he told me it was a miracle that I was here and that Jim had saved Cecily and me,” she said.
“Cecily has three children and I have six grandchildren in total who wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Jim.”
The intervention by Prof Dornan was so significant to Mrs Girvan that when he published a book, An Everyday Miracle, which detailed his 40-year career as one of the most respected doctors in Northern Ireland, she bought a copy for Cecily.
Mrs Girvan continued: “I always meant to ask Jim to sign the book but I never did and that’s something I regret now.
“He was such a big character, when you saw him out he was the life and soul and, no offence to his son, but he would have given him a run for his money in the looks’ department, he was gorgeous.
“But once he was in doctor mode, he was so professional, he was so, so caring and genuine and I’m not surprised that he became so respected for his work.
“I was so, so sad to hear he had died because he was such a lovely man who did so many wonderful things during his career.”
Former colleagues and friends of Prof Dornan were left stunned by news of his passing earlier this week at the age of 73. The Co Down man, dad to Hollywood actor Jamie Dornan, and Leisa and Jess, was heavily involved with a number of charities here, including Tiny Life, Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI and the Northern Ireland Pancreatic Cancer group.