Schoolgirl shielded from classmates in special pod

A ‘ONE-of-a-kind’ Carrickmore girl with no immune system has returned to the classroom for the first time since March, thanks to a protective perspex pod designed and built by her dad.

Although she looks like any other healthy six-year-old, Orla Hurson’s vulnerabilities mean that catching a common childhood infection like chicken pox could prove deadly.

Due to the high risks posed by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, her parents, Garry and Lynne, took the decision to take Orla out of St Colmcille’s Primary School in Carrickmore at the start of March.

Her older sister, 11-year-old Eimear, was taken out of primary 7 several days later. But home-schooling presented many challenges for the family, who live in the countryside outside Carrickmore.

In particular, Orla really missed interacting with her friends in the classroom.

Eventually, her joiner father came up with an innovative idea as the best way of getting his youngest daughter back to school. Along with his brother Noel, who owns Sign Works in Cookstown, Garry designed and built the perspex pod which encloses Orla and acts as a giant shield.

With strong support from her P3 teacher Finola Canavan, and classroom assistant, Dympna Quinn, the six-year-old has re-joined her classmates for a short time each day, initially on a trial basis.

Her mum, Lynne, said, “Overall, I couldn’t be happier. It allows her to go back to school and be as safe as she possibly can be. To see her happy face, she just loves it.”

Orla first became very unwell at just 18-months-old and was admitted to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Belfast.

She was later transferred to the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, under the immunology and gastroenterology teams.

The youngster underwent numerous surgical procedures and comprehensive testings, but with no diagnosis of her condition.

Her mum said, “They’ve never come across it. They came up with a plan to re-set Orla’s immune system, leaving her immunosuppressed in hope that it would re-programme.”

Even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, her vulnerability meant that her family would have always been quite conscious of any bugs, bacterial infections or viruses.

Lynne said, “It’s funny, at the start of the lockdown, a lot of people would just say this is the norm for you.

She added, “The two children know all about Covid, like all infectious illnesses, and it’s made them aware of hygiene and personal space. They’re quite conscious of hygiene and social distancing.”

The lack of social contact has affected Orla, her mother revealed.

“She’s very social. The only visiting she really got was going to the hospital. That’s what it came down to. We’ve had no-one in our home from March.”

With her confidence taking a real knock, her teacher, Mrs Canavan, introduced the family to the ‘Collaborate’ video conferencing system which allowed Orla to return to her classroom virtually.

Through this, she was able to get around 30 minutes each day in the classroom, which was a real boost.

But, due to the limited availability of the equipment and the poor internet connectivity in Carrickmore, it could also be a frustrating experience.

In the end, it was Garry who suggested building a structure that would form a protective bubble around their daughter.

After all they had been through, Lynne was initially “very reluctant” before fully embracing the idea.

She said, “It’s as safe as we could possibly make it. It’s a giant shield for Orla. It’s perfect.”

From early on, the family’s plan was fully supported by both Orla’s teacher and classroom assistant.

Lynne said, “It’s only been able to happen because of their support. They’ve been absolutely fantastic.”

With Orla now back in school for a short time each day, her mother said the difference it has made was “unbelievable”.

“Even through the summer when people could socialise again, the girls never had that. They’ve got 27 cousins so they missed out on so much interaction amongst family alone. This is the least we could try to do for her.

“If this works, she’ll be able to attend school on a more normal basis further down the line. It will allow her to be at school more than she has been able to”, Lynne added.