Parents of seriously ill babies need more support, says mum

Tiernan, now aged five, never stops smiling, says his mum

More support is needed for families of seriously-ill children in Northern Ireland who have to travel for treatment, a Londonderry mum has said.

Christina Browse's son Tiernan was born with a ventricular septal defect, more commonly known as a hole in the heart.

It meant as a baby he had to travel between Derry, Belfast and Dublin for life-saving surgery.

"We didn't know what to do, who to turn to," Christina told BBC Radio Foyle.

Now aged two and a half and well into recovery, Tiernan "just doesn't stop smiling".

But speaking to The North West Today programme, Christina said the first few months of his life were hugely challenging.

She did not know there were heart problems until Tiernan was five months old.

"He was rushed to Belfast, then to Dublin. He had open heart surgery at five and a half months old," said Christina.

"Life just shattered when the doctor in Altnagelvin [Hospital] told me he might not make it, the hole in his heart was just so big."

Tiernan had surgery at five months old in Dublin.

Children's heart surgery services at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital ceased in 2015.

The following year a new all-island children's heart surgery network was launched.

That means children from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are operated on at Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Dublin, while pre- and post-operative care can be provided in Belfast.

In 2021 after initial treatment in Belfast Tiernan travelled to Dublin for surgery.

"I always remember the day he went for his open heart surgery in Dublin, them putting him to sleep and I thought this might be the last time I see my baby," said Christina.

"It was so hard, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life - your whole life just shatters."

'So pressurised'

Christina said the treatment that her son received was first class but the travel took a toll logistically and financially on her family.

At the time of Tiernan's life-saving treatment, his dad Tony had no option but to take time off work and Christina was still on maternity pay.

"It was so pressurised," she said.

The family were helped by the Children's Heartbeat Trust, a charity that supports families and children.

The trust helped to cover accommodation and travel costs but she said more should be done at governmental level to support families like hers.

Stormont's Department of health said it understood the anxiety associated with having to travel outside Northern Ireland for treatment.

The department said it was aware of the personal and family hardship associated with travelling for ongoing specialist care and introduced a policy of reimbursement for expenses in 2015 which includes accommodation.

The Western Health Trust said it also supported families financially and funded both parents to travel with paediatric patients.

That support, the trust said, can include driving or taxi expenses, some accommodation costs and a daily food budget.