Baby James fighting fit to mark first birthday

TWO months ago baby James Ward-Fox could barely get his breath but today the plucky tot will be blowing out the candles on his very first birthday cake.

It will be a double celebration for the Co Wicklow youngster and his family because he is not only turning one but also marking a clean bill of health after life-saving heart surgery in England.

James was born with pulmonary atresia, which means he was missing a vital heart valve. The condition is also known as blue baby syndrome because without the valve, the heart struggles to pump blood to the lungs, leaving the baby without enough oxygen and prone to turning blue in the face at the slightest exertion.

To fix his heart, James needed to be fitted with a valve taken from a sheep or cow. The procedure is so rare that his doctors at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick in Crumlin referred him to experts at the Princess Diana Children’s Hospital in Birmingham where he underwent surgery seven weeks ago.

“I didn’t see him for 11 hours that day, the surgery took so long. It was very hard waiting and wondering and just hoping that everything was OK,” recalls his mum Nicola.

“But it was worth it all. He’s a totally different child.

“Before, I didn’t want him laughing or crying because he couldn’t get his breath but now he’s able to react the same way as any other child.”

At last, James is also able to have fun playing with his dad James and big sister five-year-old Mary Sarah.

“He’s rolling around the floor now and he’ll be beginning to crawl soon. He’s behind in his development compared to other children his age but we don’t mind that. He’ll catch up eventually.”

The family are celebrating with a big party for relatives and friends at their home in Arklow, where a very special guest will include another local child, 13-month-old Saoirse Doyle, who also underwent complex heart surgery, albeit for a different condition, at a similarly tender age.

“It helped me knowing that she could go through an operation and it was great to be able to talk to her mother because she knew what it was like worrying about it.”

Generous local people contributed to a fund for James and their donations will continue to be a help in the future as he will have to return to Birmingham for a replacement valve before he is three and will probably need two more after that as his heart grows.

But for now, all his family are thinking of is giving him the best day ever although Nicola says it’s hard to spoil him.

“He doesn’t ever want much and whatever presents he gets, he’ll probably prefer playing with the box they come in.”

The James Ward-Fox account is at AIB Arklow, number 31220010, sort code 933023.