‘Miracle boy’ makes recovery after serious accident

A YOUNGSTER from Omagh has been described “a miracle boy” after making a remarkable recovery from serious injuries he sustained in a bike accident last year.

Joe Donaghy, aged just seven-years-old, was able to celebrate Christmas at his Coolnagard home just days after undergoing a major operation on December 20.

The St Conor’s PS pupil received a serious brain injury as a result of the accident in September, and was treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast.

His parents, Sean and Edel, were initially ‘fearing the very worst’ as Joe spent 24 days in intensive care.

“At the start, it was very nervewracking because, hour-by- hour, we didn’t know what to expect,” Edel told the UH.

“The initial prognosis didn’t look good at all, and everybody feared the very worst.

“Then, as time went on, Joe showed that he was fighting to stay alive. He was showing the doctors that he was still there, and that kept us going. He’s definitely our little miracle boy.”

As the family kept a vigil by Joe’s bedside, the local community rallied behind the Donaghy family.

A special prayer service was held at Healy Park in Omagh, and a number of fundraising events were organised.

Joe’s gaelic football coach, Cathal McCarron, ran 5k a day, while his schoolmates recorded a ‘Song for Joe’, and there was also a successful ‘Jog for Joe’ fundraiser.

Members of the Tyrone GAA team also visited him in hospital.

All the while, the little man kept battling, and, eventually, he was removed from intensive care.

From there, Joe faced a number of new challenges – including learning how to walk again – but he has met them all with courage and determination.

“Joe was in intensive care for 24 days, until he was moved into a separate ward. From then on, it has all been about recovering,” said Edel.

“He, then, had to find the power in his legs again; he had to learn to walk, talk, and eat, unaided. He received daily occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and physiotherapy. It has been a series of small milestones throughout the journey. But each little thing has helped Joe’s recovery, and built up his strength.”

One of Joe’s next goals is a return to school at St Conor’s PS.

The Donaghy family say they are indebted to the local community for the ‘overwhelming support’ received during the past few months.

“To know that the community was behind us was just amazing,” said Edel.

“We were in Belfast when the vigil was taking place at Healy Park, and that gave us huge encouragement to keep fighting with Joe.

“The support has been just overwhelming, and Joe has shown remarkable resilience from the start.

“Thankfully, it’s a very different outcome from the one we feared in September. The staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital, too, have also been amazing.

“It was great to have Joe home for Christmas. It’s now a New Year, and the next step is to have Joe back in school,” concluded Edel.