Couple who lost baby after six weeks raising funds to save other children's lives
'Little fighter' Jamie Grealis will be remembered forever when his parents raise €100,000 for lifesaving equipment at Mayo University Hospital
A couple who lost their baby son to sudden infant death syndrome are raising funds for lifesaving hospital equipment in his name.
James and Mary Grealis want to buy an Echo machine for the Special Care Baby Unit at Castlebar Hospital in memory of their son Jamie.
They already have €35,000 in donations towards the cost of the €100,000 machine, which they hope will provide urgent care to save other babies’ lives.
James, a commercial manager with a truck company and a firefighter with Mayo County Council, said the project will be Jamie’s legacy.
READ MORE: Man dragged through streets by gardai as Ireland and England fans clash in Dublin
READ MORE: Man, 18, denied bail over alleged hatchet attack in Blanchardstown
He told the Irish Mirror: “We started it on the anniversary of Jamie’s death. This is so that Jamie’s name will always be remembered. There will be a plaque on the machine with his name on it.”
Little Jamie was born with Down Syndrome. James revealed: “He was our first child, we were married for 10 years hoping to have kids, next thing Jamie came along like a miracle.
“We were brought into a private room and told he had Down Syndrome. We said straight away ‘He’s here, he’s perfect, he’s what we wanted.’
“The only reason he was given to us was because we were the parents who were going to look after this lad. We wanted him from the first moment.”
Jamie spent his first two weeks in the hospital’s SCBU before being brought home, but he touched the hearts of all who met him. James said: “In reality, we only had him for six weeks.
“I had him at a truck show, at the fire station. He was on the picket line when I was protesting for better conditions. All the firemen in the town, everybody knew him. We only had him for six weeks. He would have changed people’s lives.”
In a tragic turn of events, Jamie became unresponsive in his dad’s arms on June 29 last year, and despite best efforts they could not save him. James recalled: “I was holding him in my arms when he became unresponsive. I am highly trained in CPR.
“We tried our best. We live two minutes from Mayo University Hospital so we rushed him in.”
Jamie was revived in Castlebar then rushed by ambulance to Crumlin and revived twice more, but slipped away the following evening.
James said: “We followed the ambulance to Dublin. The doctor came out and said, ‘He’s made it.’ Even the security guard met him at the door and rushed him in.
“He was a little fighter. But the neurologist did all the tests and said there was no brain function, only the machine keeping him alive. It was hard to accept when we were told Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. But there was no chance that he was going to come back.
“I want to highlight to other parents who have lost kids through SIDS or cot death, we gave Jamie the best chance he could get to survive.
“You will have parents wondering if there was something else they could have done, there’s not. We had the best of people, the best of care.”
James and Mary have launched a GoFundMe page to buy the Echo. At first, they thought a travel incubator would be best – but medics said they could cut the need to transport infants to another hospital with an echocardiographic machine.
James said: “They are an amazing team, that is why we wanted to give back, plus we want Jamie to be remembered forever.
“Having an echocardiographic machine in Castlebar would save sending any sick baby in an ambulance elsewhere for an Echo.” In an unexpected turn of events, the couple now have a third supporter for Jamie’s legacy project – their new baby daughter Cara.
James revealed: “She’s been at fundraisers with us wearing a little hoodie that says ‘Please donate to my brother’s Echo.’
“It’s an absolute miracle she came along. The care Mary received during pregnancy was beyond belief. When Cara was born, the SCBU staff who cared for Jamie came in with presents.”
Sign up to the Irish Mirror's daily newsletter here and get breaking news and top stories direct to your inbox
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
