Brave Abie fighting back after operation

FIVE-MONTH-OLD Abie Lawlor was clamouring for her bottle yesterday morning, just two-and-a-half hours after a life-saving operation in Temple Street to help her breathe.

The Tipperary baby has been fighting for her life since she was born on March 3 in Waterford Regional Hospital with a rare disorder known as chronic sleep apnoea. The brain defect stops her from breathing on her own at night.

Abie had to wait more than eight weeks for the surgery, which took just over half-an-hour.

The tracheotomy, a routine operation which opened her airwaves, will ease her pain. And it should allow her breathe while sleeping without the assistance of a ventilator, her delighted grandmother Irene Long said. "She's just had the operation and the doctors are very pleased," Irene said yesterday morning. "She's a miracle baby, one of the bravest, no shadow of a doubt about it. She went down to the operating theatre at 8.30am and was back up by 9am. By 11am she was roaring for her bottle. Her recovery has been so, so quick. It's even left the doctors at Temple Street impressed by her will to fight."

The operation had been promised soon after Abie's birth. But after a long, anxious wait, the family finally went public a fortnight ago in a desperate bid to get the surgery she needed.

Despite yesterday's successful outcome, they've been warned Abie is still seriously ill and has a long, difficult struggle ahead.

"She's such an incredible fighter, she's absolutely brilliant," her mother Rosie Lawlor said. "The hospital has already begun our programme for going home. But we've no idea when that might be. We may have to be transferred somewhere else first," said the 21-year-old trainee chef.

Both are anxious to get home to Tipperary, though, but realise that may take some months to happen.

The family said that nobody should have to endure what they went through.

"We had to open our private lives to the public to get this operation," said Irene.

"We need to shake up the health service. Other grandmothers like me have to stop sitting back and taking things on the chin. We have to wake up our health service."