Padraig shows off his footballing skills!
prevent chest infections, Padraig’s condition improved greatly. When Padraig was two, Donard and
Michelle discovered that they were expecting another baby and were immediately offered a test to ascertain whether or not this baby would be Down’s Syndrome. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, they
chose not to take the test – an action which was to be repeated five years later when Michelle became pregnant for a third time. Despite the fact that the couple now know that Michelle is the carrier of the boy Down’s Syndrome gene, both son, Daire, who is now five and daughter Naoishe, were not affected. ‘What difference would it have made if
we’d had the test?’ Donard says philosophically. ‘It has never made any difference to me that Padraig has Down Syndrome. What difference would it have made if we’d had a second Down’s Syndrome child? Padraig has never brought anything but joy to our lives.
‘What difference would it have made if we’d had a second Down’s Syndrome child? Padraig has never brought anything but joy to our lives’
that I was effectively mourning the death of a ‘normal’ child. Pregnancy was, he said, like a journey - like booking a holiday to Florida. You go to the airport and take off. Then, halfway through your flight, the flight attendant says, ‘Well, ladies and gentlemen, very soon, we’ll be landing in California’. You immediately say, ‘No! We’re heading to Florida’, but the attendant tells you, ‘I’m sorry, but this flight is going to California, and you have to go’. You end up at your hotel in California and it turns out to be the best holiday you’ve ever had! It may not have been what you were looking for, but it turns out for the best. That consultant will never know the effect that his words had on us!’ While there’s no doubt that the
couple’s positive attitude to their son’s life is practically palpable, they’d be the first to admit that the first few years were challenging. In his first year, Padraig experienced a
series of frequent chest infections, swine flu and pneumonia, and many nights were spent in A & E. Fortunately, after the couple fought for him to be prescribed a specific injection which was to help
Padraig with his hero, country star Nathan Carter
Modernmum 17
Yes, there have been times which have been challenging – such as when he was ill – but those are things that many parents experience. Before Padraig was born, I would have worried about things like money, but now my life has changed completely and I appreciate things so much more. He never goes to sleep without telling us that he loves us and from the moment he opens his eyes in the morning he is a wee ray of sunshine.’ Although Padraig initially started out in
a mainstream primary school, he’s now at a school of children with special needs and has, according to his parents, absolutely blossomed! ‘He’s absolutely loving it,’ says Michelle.
‘He’s learning life core skills such as how to use money and how to tie his shoe laces, and we can’t believe how well he’s doing!’ Padraig recently joined his hero -
country star, Nathan Carter - on stage in Belfast and now counts the singer as one of his fans. For Donard and Michelle, however, Padraig is a star in his own right!
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