Home Sweet Home

THERE
was joy on the Northside last week after a local toddler arrived home from the
US after undergoing life-changing operations.

Sergio
O’Connor (1), from Donnycarney, and his father Donal, returned after a stay of
over nine months in the Children’s Hospital Boston where Sergio underwent
specialist operations and treatment not available in Ireland.

Sergio,
a twin, suffers from a number of complications and among the most severe, is a
rare condition called tracheo-oesophageal fistula with long gap atreasia, which
prevented him from eating, drinking, breathing and swallowing.

The
operation to treat this condition involved inducing Sergio into a coma for six
weeks while surgeons used a procedure to stimulate the growth of his esophagus.

The
whole procedure and aftercare has taken over nine months and was an emotional
roller coaster.

Sergio
will require further medical procedures in the future and currently has to be
peg-fed.

However,
he made significant progress. For example, Sergio is no longer dependent on the
trachea, (a devise put in place to enable Sergio to breathe), and can now
breathe independently without any medical apparatus.

This
development heralds a major improvement to the quality of his life.

Sergio
and his father Donal travelled home by air-ambulance with refuelling stopovers
in Newfoundland and Iceland before arriving in Dublin.

They
were met on arrival by an ambulance for transfer to Our Lady’s Hospital for
Sick Children, Crumlin.

Donal
and his wife Rosa are so appreciative of the excellent care and medical
attention they received in Boston and will be forever in their debt.

Sergio
is now into a new phase of his life and with the support of the staff
of Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, will continue to make
progress. He will remain under observation at the hospital.

It
is hoped that Sergio will be discharged in the near future, allowing his parents
Donal and Rosa to bring their smiley baby home from hospital to live with the
rest of his family for the very first time.

Since
his birth in March 2011, Sergio has been confined to hospitals.

It
is hoped that he can live a relatively normal life with his twin brother,
Tadhg, at the family home in Donnycarney.

Sergio’s
father, Donal O’Connor and his wider family are well-known traditional Irish
musicians.

The
traditional musicians across the country have rallied behind the O’Connor
family and have been actively supporting the Help Sergio Appeal with concerts
and fundraising events.

Donal
who works in rehabilitation at the Central Remedial Clinic, Clontarf, has taken
unpaid leave of absence to care for Sergio in Boston.

“We
are sincerely grateful to everyone who has helped us so far,

? Donal told
Northside People.

“The
support we have received from neighbours, friends and so many sources has been
overwhelming.

?

Anyone
who wishes to find out more about Sergio can do so through the website www.helpsergio.com