A MILLISLE schoolgirl with complex cardiac issues had her ‘dreams come true’ when she was given the green light to fly for the first time.
Gaby Irvine is suffering from holiday blues this week after enjoying the trip of a lifetime to Disneyland Paris, thanks to the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust (NICLT).
The ten year-old, who is a pupil at Millisle Primary School, was one of 20 children with complex needs, selected to go on the trip last weekend.
She was accompanied by her parents Lynsey and David, who had feared they would not be allowed to make the trip due to Gaby’s complex needs.
However thanks to NICLT, families are joined by a number of doctors and nurses, who provide reassurance and help on the trip, making dreams become a reality.
Gaby suffers from a complex cardiac condition and has had three open heart surgeries. She also requires a ventilator and oxygen at night to help her breathe.
Her condition means Gaby has never been allowed to fly and so the family have only ever done ‘staycations’ with their daughter.
Lynsey explained: “A couple of months ago I got a phone call from the trust to say someone had nominated us from the Ulster Hospital to go away.
“I was a bit worried and to be honest I didn’t think we would be allowed as Gaby’s never been allowed to fly before.
“We got in touch with Gaby’s consultant and asked if we could go and he had a wee think about it and said he was happy as long as there was medical staff there and she had oxygen on the plane.”
With the family never believing they would be able to go on a trip out of the country, Lynsey said they were ‘totally blown away’ when they were given the green light.
“I couldn’t hold it in and told Gaby immediately and she started counting the days down on her calendar and marking off each day,” she continued.
Lynsey added that the reassurance of medical professionals being on board was a huge relief also.
She said: “My husband and I do everything for Gaby, we look after her. We don’t have any carers or anything. Just knowing that it wasn’t all on us if something went wrong was great.”
Reflecting on the weekend, Lynsey said Gaby enjoyed dressing up as a princess and practicing her waves at the parades in Disneyland.
“It was lovely watching her. I must have cried about 12 times watching her wee face. She was so happy,” she laughed.
Praising the NICLT, Lynsey said she and her family were ‘incredibly grateful’ for taking them on the trip and making Gaby’s ‘dreams come true’.
