A TOT given just three weeks to live and sent home to die is still battling more than six months later — with his mum declaring: “He’s a survivor.” “Living miracle” Nickey Flood suffers from a number of conditions and badly needs a double lung transplant. However, doctors here have refused to operate on the 14-month-old, from Athy, Co Kildare .
Mum Nicola and dad Nicholas were told in January that their baby had just three weeks to live and to bring him home for palliative care. But “little warrior” Nickey is still alive. And Nicola is desperately seeking a life-saving operation for him.
She told The Irish Sun: “My baby is a survivor, which is why we are fighting so hard for him. “In January, I was told my baby boy had just three weeks to live. There was nothing more they could do for him.
“They tried to tell us we were in denial when we disagreed with their prognosis, but we still have him with us. He can’t walk or crawl, but is saying ‘mama’ and ‘dada’ and ‘I love you’, among other words. “He is a living miracle and, no matter what, we are going to try and get him whatever it takes for him to live.
He is a happy child and is not in pain.” Nickey was born 27 weeks premature, weighing in at 985g, a mere 2lbs 7ozs — less than a bag of sugar. After just two weeks, he contracted Covid .
He suffers from a number of serious conditions and receives seven different meds daily through a peg. Nicola added: “He was so tiny when he was born but he was so much loved and I knew he would fight for life. I just knew they were wrong.
“Nickey is a little warrior and he came through everything that was thrown at him, including getting Covid at just two weeks old when at his weakest. “We have been through it all as we almost lost him three times and yet he came through it all.” The most vital operation Nickey currently needs to extend his life is the double lung transplant.
And despite doctors in Crumlin telling the family they’ve done all they can in January, Nicola and Nicholas have been looking for another option. They’ve found two hospitals — one in England and the other in America — where the specialist teams will examine Nickey to see if he is a suitable candidate for the transplant if a matching donor is found. Dad Nicholas has given up his job as manager of a security firm to help care for Nickey, with older sister Courtney, 20, and brother Killian, 19.
Nickey also has siblings Caoimhe, 18, Kelsie, 16, Dylan, 4, and two-year-old Joseph. Nicola said: “We all love him so much. He is adored by all the family and he knows it.
“He is happy and content. He loves playing and kisses and cuddles. Despite all his medical problems and complex needs, he still smiles.
We’ll never give up on him.” The family have set up a GoFundMe page, Our Little Warrior Fighting Pulmonary Seninous, with a €150,000 goal. They’ve raised €14,295 to date and are planning a number of fundraising efforts.
A Children’s Health Ireland spokesperson told us they cannot comment on individual cases..
