Cork dad reveals final moments with daughter Béibhinn ahead of first anniversary online concert

Béibhinn suffered from an extremely rare congenital heart defect and unfortunately passed away after a routine post-operation procedure triggered a cardiac arrest

Eoin and his wife Irene with Béibhinn at her bedside before the operation.

A devastated father has revealed the heartbreaking final moments that he spoke to his young daughter before her death a year ago, to urge everyone not to take life for granted.

Hundreds are expected to attend a 'ticketless' online concert this weekend in honour of nine-year-old Béibhinn O'Connor from Riverstick, Co Cork, who sadly passed away after open-heart surgery.

Beautiful Béibhinn who suffered from an extremely rare congenital heart defect (CHD), survived the major surgery but passed away after a routine post-operation procedure triggered a cardiac arrest.

Ahead of her first anniversary today, Thursday, her doting dad Eoin recalled with numbing grief the last moments they shared as he walked with her into surgery.

Béibhinn O'Connor passed away on September 16, 2020.

Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 restrictions, Eoin and his wife Irene had to share their visiting time with Béibhinn during her stay in hospital. 

"I remember walking down to the theatre with B (Béibhinn). My right hand was holding her left," he said.

She said Daddy, I'm scared.' I said to her 'Do you think I would let them do anything to you if I thought something would go wrong.

"And to this day, I never saw it coming. Not for one second, did I have any doubt that she would be fine.

"I had to lift her up onto the bed. The anaesthetist came in and made a few jokes to try and calm her but she was understandably scared.

"Then they started the injection. She started crying with the feeling of it. I squeezed her hand twice and she returned the squeeze, which was our sign for I love you.

"I said, 'I love you Béibhinn' and she said back I love you, through the fear and tears and she drifted off. I kissed her forehead and whispered it again and left the room.

"I never saw or spoke to that beautiful girl again.

"I regularly lie awake at night reliving that walk, those moments and I'm unable to sleep as tears stream down my face."

Eoin O'Connor with his daughter Béibhinn in the hours before she went to have open heart surgery last year and, unfortunately, never recovered.

He warned: "Don't ever take life for granted. I am lucky to have had nine-and-a-half wonderful years with our darling girl and I know and 100% believe that she is around us all the time now but life will never be the same."

Despite their deep grief, Béibhinn's family found strength to urge people to do an act of kindness in honour of 'the heart angel' and raised over €100,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation, before founding a new Heart Angel charity, which aims to spread kindness and to develop inspirational initiatives for families in Béibhinn's name.

In the lead-up to their daughter's anniversary, the couple have been part of a community effort to present 'Heart Angel - The Concert', to commemorate her life in music, something that she loved.

Béibhinn's mum Irene added: "This concert is a celebration of the music that inspired her and her family. It's been an extremely emotional time for us and we are humbled beyond words with the kindness we have received from our local communities and beyond.

I never thought that we would grieve so openly but it is all the support from everyone that has given us the strength to create a light out of the darkness of her passing.

The concert, which features the City of Cork Symphony Orchestra and many of Beibhinn's school friends and classmates, is online and ticketless at www.theheartangel.ie on Saturday night and any voluntary donations will go to the Heart Angel charity.