Weekly Bettystown swim just what the doctor ordered for Swim Baby Hannah
FOR little Hannah McGinn, her weekly swimming lessons in Bettystown got her through one of the most difficult times in her two years on this planet!
Hannah, who has been attending Water Babies classes since she was three months old, has been through a lot this last year.
The Dundalk toddler learned that her Mammy was expecting twins early in 2019 and because the babies arrived early at just 24 weeks, she was separated from her Mum for six weeks after their birth.
She met her brother and sister when they were first born however sadly she said goodbye to her little sister after a few days and she has only seen her baby brother Cathal a handful of times over the last 6 months as he is an inpatient in Temple Street hospital.
Throughout all of the chaos at home, the one thing that remained constant was her swimming lessons on a Sunday at Integral in Bettystown.
In her Mum Jennifer’s absence, Daddy took over swimming and Hannah has become a strong and independent little two-and-a-half-year-old with an excellent understanding of the world around her. Hannah has toilet trained herself and learned how to sleep on her own in her own bed.
“I honestly believe that she has learned a huge amount of this from her swimming lessons,” says Mum Jennifer McGinn. “Hannah packs her own swimming bag the night before and is enjoying being back in the pool after her Christmas break.”
Hannah was one of 11 inspiring children from around Ireland to have been honoured at the annual Water Babies Little Heroes awards ceremony, where despite being challenged by accidents, serious illness and special needs, many have shown an incredible amount of strength and bravery so young.