Mother’s thanks for Maisie’s care
PRAISE FOR SUH PHYSIO DEPT FOR TREATMENT OF NEWBORN GIRL
The efforts of staff at Sligo University Hospital has resulted in life-changing benefits for six-month old Maisie Griffiths.
Daughter of Sligo town native Jennifer White, Maisie was born last October and was born with Bilateral Talipes, a condition also referred to as clubfoot.
Bilateral Talipes results in one or both feet pointing down and inwards and can lead to difficulties with walking when babies get older. Roughly one in every thousand babies are born with Bilateral Talipes but is treatable from an early age.
Having received treatment at Sligo University Hospital, Maisie is now well on the way through the process and will be monitored up to the age of four or five.
In an effort to show her appreciation for the work of those in Sligo University Hospital, Jennifer has opted to set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to go towards making the physio department a more attractive place for babies and children.
“Maisie was born in October and she was born with Bilateral Talipes,” Ms White told The Sligo Champion.
“We were researching about it and we thought we would
have to go to Crumlin for the treatment. Basically, it’s a full leg cast from when she was eight days old, and that’s changed every week. But it was all done in the fracture clinic in Sligo and the two lads there, John and Shane, were trained in England. The main person that’s involved in Maisie’s treatment is Rachel, in the physio department, and she’s a pediatric physio.
“Since Maisie is out of the cast she’s in boots now which she had to wear for 23 hours a day the first three months and she’s out of them now for two weeks and only has to wear them at night, but this is until she’s four or five.”
Having spent time in the physio department and wanting to give something back after the great work of the staff, Ms White decided that money to go towards work to facilitate a children’s area would be useful.
“When you go into casualty there’s a children’s place where there are nice paintings on the wall and a different area. But there isn’t any in the physio department.
“I think paintings on the wall, maybe even a mirror on the ceiling. There are a few toys up there but now with the pandemic you can’t have anything that they can touch because you’re constantly wiping things down.”
Jennifer says that Maisie is now in ‘great form’ at six months old.
“We will be with Rachel [physio] now until Maisie is four or five. She changed her life - if that wasn’t done she wouldn’t be able to walk and it’s such a big thing, I just wanted to give something back and I thought wouldn’t it be lovely if there was an area in there.”
To donate, search for Sligo General Hospital Physio Department on GoFundMe.