We’re blessed but without Jack & Jill, we couldn’t cope...
Mum pays tribute to nurses caring for her toddler
A DEVOTED mum has said she’s grateful every day for her “miracle baby”, despite the devastating blow her tiny tot was born brain damaged with severe cerebral palsy.
El ai ne Wall , f r om Co Wexford , heaped praise on the Jack And Ji l l nurses, saying without their help she’d be a broken woman.
Lucy, now aged two, was born two weeks early and h er mum kn e w something wasn’t right as her baby did not cry.
Elaine, 37, told the Iri sh Mirror : “When she was born I kept thinking, ‘ Why isn’t she crying?’ there was a mark on her right cheek.
“When the doctors took her away for a couple of hours, they said her skin hadn’t grown and she needed a skin graft.
“When she went to the nurser y she didn’t come back, she wouldn’t take a bottle all night and it turned out this mark on her face was actually a blood clot.”
The heartbroken mum of two was to discover Lucy would never have a normal chi l dhood and her l i f e expectancy was uncertain.
Elaine said: “We brought Lucy to Crumlin for all these tests, when you l ooked into her mouth her tongue hadn’t formed so that’s why she couldn’t latch on to a bottle.
“They did all these t ests on her little brain and they came back to say she had severe cerebral palsy and brain damage. It was heartbreaking and we were devastated.”
To the outside world Lucy does not do a lot but to her family they know how to communicate with her.
DEPENDENT
Elaine added: “A lot of people think she doesn’t move but she does, but she will never walk and she’ ll always be fully dependent on us.
“She had a blood clot in her throat and it sprouted up into her brain.”
Lucy’s family met with Jack And Jill liaison nurse Joanne Doyle when she was one week old and have had ursing hours since.
The toddler requires 24- hour care and has difficulty sleeping.
Elaine said: “We’re lucky we have Jack And Jill nurses and resilience.
“Lucy doesn’t really sleep, I suppose because she isn’t burning energy she isn’t as tired.
“Without Jack And Jill we wouldn’t be alive, we’d be exhausted somewhere, you wouldn’t be able to cope.
“We’re blessed to have Lucy in our lives, they don’t know how long her life will take her, there’s no time limit on her. She’s our miracle baby.”
Th e J a c k And J i l l Chi l d r e n’s Foundation i s looking for people to do i t s s ocial ly - di stanced “Up The Hill For Jack And Jill” fundraising challenge this month.
To take part, simply gather a small group of family or friends, pick a local hill and make a date to walk, run, or cycle it together.
Each participant i s asked to donate € 16 to support one hour of home nursing care for the 362 Jack And Ji l l children across Ireland today.
F o r m o r e i nf or mation , v i s i t www. jackandjill. ie.
Without Jack And Jill [ nurses] we wouldn’t be alive, we’d be exhausted somewhere
ELAINE WALL CO WEXFORD YESTERDAY