Miracle tot blooms at her 21st

STAFF at the
Rotunda Hospital received a surprise visit earlier this month from a grateful
Northside woman who gave birth there 21 years ago.

Dolores Behan from
Finglas was there to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for her daughter
Joy, who was so tiny when she was born that nobody knew if she would survive.

“Joy was one of
the smallest babies ever delivered at the hospital at that time, she weighed
just 1lb 7 ounces,

? Dolores told Northside People.

Dolores gave
the staff a photo of Joy at five days old, and sure enough, one of the nurses
recognised the tiny tot who was small enough to fit in the palm of her father’s
hand.

“One of the
senior nurses remembered looking after Joy all those years ago,

? Dolores added.

“I just wanted to thank them for the amazing care they gave her, because really
she wouldn’t be here now only for them.

?

Dolores also
showed the Rotunda staff a more recent photo of her daughter, who celebrated
her 21st on Halloween night. Still petite at 5’2

?, Joy has grown into a
beautiful young woman, who does karate and kick-boxing, works out at the gym
and goes running.

To see the
radiant red-head smiling shyly in her stunning dress and birthday sash, it’s
difficult to imagine she’s the same tiny creature born three months premature
by emergency Caesarean, but Joy’s parents will never forget the terror of their
daughter’s first few months of life.

“She was
transparent, you could see every vein,

? Dolores explained.

“When people saw the
photo they said there was more on a skinned rabbit. Joy actually lost weight a
few days after she was born, dropping three ounces to 1lb 4.5 oz, and we
thought she was dying.

?

Dolores and
husband Peter were advised to have their daughter baptised at just four days
old. Joy’s kidneys weren’t working, and in the weeks that followed her heart
stopped and she had two brain haemorrhages.

Miraculously,
Joy pulled through. Although her parents weren’t allowed to touch her, they
visited the hospital religiously every day.

“We dreaded
every time the phone rang, and if we heard that she got sick or wasn’t eating
or breathing, we just went running to the hospital.

?

Little by
little, the tiny baby gained weight, and was discharged from hospital at three
months weighing 4 lb 10 oz. For the next eight months, Joy had to wear a little
monitor that flashed red and green to let her parents know if she was
breathing.

“One little boy
saw her and said

‘There’s the remote control baby,’

? remembers Dolores.

Doctors warned
the Behans that their daughter could be blind, deaf or brain-damaged, even if
she survived her traumatic early start.

She had
operations on her ears when she was two-years-old, and never spoke until she
was three, but Joy developed normally into a gorgeous little girl adored by her
parents and her big brother Vincent.

“Vincent is
four years older than her and they get on great, they do everything together,
there was never any jealousy. He’d do anything for her, she just flutters her
eyelashes and he agrees!

?

Dolores Behan
wanted to thank the doctors and nurses for looking after her daughter,
particularly Dr Mary Holohan and the late Dr Dalrymple at the Rotunda Hospital.

But she is also
keen to reassure other parents of premature babies that there is always hope
despite the worry and trials of the early months and years.

“It’s a hard
struggle for the first four years, but to me Joy was just a normal baby.
There’s light at the end of the tunnel,

? she said.

Joy’s 21st
birthday took place in the Quarry Pub in Finglas on Halloween weekend. About 90
friends and family gathered with music, food and dancing late into the night.

“It was
fantastic, we played party games and got to bed at 5.30am,

? says Dolores.

Joy lives at
home with her parents, and has taken courses in hotel management and cookery.
Unable to find work in these fields, she’s now considering studying interior
design with the full support of her parents.

“Joy has a head
of sense, and wouldn’t hurt a fly. She doesn’t go out much, doesn’t smoke and
she’s super-fit. She has a lovely boyfriend who’s mad about her, and he’s
6’2

?!

? said her proud mother.