To mark Barra’s first birthday, I will walk 100 Miles to raise money for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin and Children’s Heartbeat Trust NI.

Here’s a little more about Barra’s story and how your support can help other families in similar situations…

Barra was diagnosed with CHD (Congenital Heart Disease) during pregnancy at the 20 week scan. We didn’t know anything about CHD, but under the care of Professor Sands at the Royal Victoria Hospital, we soon began to understand Barras condition.

The baby had a condition known as ‘Transposition of the Great Arteries’, and that he would need his first major operation within 20 minutes of his birth. Two days after he was born, he would need Open Heart Surgery and other high-risk procedures during the first few weeks of his life.

Throughout the remainder of the pregnancy, Barras heart was scanned every two weeks before care was moved to Our Lady’s Children’s hospital in Crumlin, Dublin, where Barra would be delivered and undergo his surgery.

The team of Surgeons, Doctors, Nurses and Assistants at our Lady’s are nothing short of AMAZING. They successfully completed Barras surgeries as they do for many new born babies on a regular basis.  Barras spent a month recovering in Dublin and was later transferred to the RVH for ongoing recovery treatment, where he will be looked after for the rest of his life.

Thankfully, as we approach Barra’s first birthday, we can look back at Barra’s journey and be so truly grateful to have a healthy, happy, beautiful boy in our arms.