Over €40k raised by Leitrim locals in online fundraiser for infant battling for life

Two Leitrim natives have organised an online fundraiser for Íde, an infant who is sadly battling for her life after suffering bleeding to her brain shortly after birth.

Joan Regan and Tommy O'Dowd have organised the GoFundMe for the baby, with the funds going to parents Claire Kenoy and Micheal Lavin as well as their twin baby girls and two young sons.

On the 23rd February earlier this year, Claire, who was pregnant with twins, was rushed to Sligo General Hospital for an emergency C-Section.

Claire and Michael's twin girls were born that day after just 28 weeks of pregnancy, with newborn girls Íde and Frankie weighing just 1.2kg and 760grams respectively.

The babies were quickly transferred to the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, and on only her second day of life, Íde suffered a significant grade 4 bleed on her brain, giving her mere hours to live.

In the next few weeks, the newborn bravely battled through kidney failure, suspected sepsis and brain surgery.

Shortly after, Íde's family received more devastating news - Íde had meningitis, and her life expectancy was "days to weeks" according to family friend Joan.

Her family took her home from Dublin, and her twin sister Frankie was transferred to NICU Sligo, where she spent 5 weeks in recovery.

Seven weeks after her birth, Íde was showing incredible will to survive, despite the extreme difficulties of living with hydrocephalus, a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles (cavities) deep within the brain.

The family brought Íde to Temple Street where fluid was drained from her brain, but the operation took a huge tole on young Íde and her parents almost feared the worst, so the difficult decision was made to take her back home to be with her siblings.

2 months later, Ide is now in Temple Street where she has undergone three extensive brain surgeries in the past two weeks and is awaiting another before she can return home.

An online fundraiser was launched by close friends of the family, who explained how difficult the situation has been for Íde, Claire and Michael.

"This little girl's desire to live is inspirational, and they feel incredibly lucky to have her here with them," family friend Joan explained.

According to Joan, Íde's father Micheal, who is self-employed, has been unable to return to work as his daughter's life hung in the balance every day, and he was scared to miss her passing.

"Íde and Frankie's lives have been amazing but very difficult, especially financially, and the future is still uncertain," Joan explained.

The fundraiser has raised over €40,000 for the family, which is hoped to lift some of the financial burden from the family.

The fundraiser can be found here.

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