'There's a cruelty about it' - Hinphey on son's illness

Liam Hinphey was a key player for the Derry football and hurling teams

Former Derry dual player Liam Hinphey had his life turned upside down when his baby son began suffering seizures.

It was the start of a difficult journey for his young family with the five-month-old boy, also called Liam, who was later diagnosed with the life-limiting Dravet Syndrome.

The rare genetic condition is a severe form of epilepsy and includes mobility issues and learning disabilities.

Liam, who requires 24-hour care, is now seven but Hinphey can vividly recall the day when the symptoms first appeared.

"There's a cruelty about it as you don't know it's coming and it just hits you one day," the Dungiven man told The GAA Social podcast.

"It was a normal Sunday morning and his the whole left side of his body was twitching.

"We hadn't a clue what was happening and we started to panic. I rang 999 straight away and that was the start of it.

"For the next two to three years we were in Altnagelvin Hospital once a month or once every couple of months.

"Ambulances were called to the house, it was seizure after seizure and in a three-four year period Liam was in intensive care eight times.

"Since August last year he's had 16 different types of seizures but there have been fewer hospital visits in the last year."

Hinphey won the Nicky Rackard Cup with Derry's hurlers in 2006 and two years later was in the Oak Leaf County team which clinched the National Football League title.

His wife Clare gave up her professional career to provide full-time care for Liam while recent medical trials provide hope that some of the symptoms could be alleviated.

Family affair

Liam's condition has impacted the whole family including his sister Cara, who was just two when he became ill.

"For the first two to three years it was rough going," added Hinphey.

"It wasn't easy - it was tough to see him dealing with it, tough to see Clare dealing with it and tough seeing my daughter deal with it.

"It's a lot of trauma most kids her age don't have to deal with but thankfully she's doing great now and hasn't been overly affected by it.

"We're at the stage now that it's more manageable. You deal with it, what else can you do?

"You find that resilience that you didn't know you had because you have to - what's your alternative?"

The Dungiven man comes from a family steeped in the GAA with his father and namesake, who died last year, a legendary Gaelic Games figure in the Oak Leaf County, with his career CV including playing for and managing the Derry hurlers.