LISTEN: Mystery philanthropist donates €30k to help get baby Zoe Drake home

A mystery philanthropist has donated €30,000 to the stranded family of miracle baby Zoe Ireland Drake, who hit headlines late last year after she entered the world in dramatic fashion.

The premature baby was born in October, almost four months ahead of schedule, after her mother Jenny went into labour on a flight from Paris to New York. The flight was redirected to Dublin, where an ambulance met Jenny and her husband Gavin, both US citizens, and rushed them to the Rotunda Hospital. A short time later baby Zoe Ireland was born weighing just 820g.

Since Zoe’s immune system is still too weak for her to travel on a commercial flight, Jenny and Gavin have been stranded in Ireland ever since the birth. To get back to their home in Tennessee, they need to get a special, and expensive, private flight complete with all the medical equipment and personnel Zoe needs to make the journey safely.