As February marks global congenital heart disease month, one Cavan father has spoken out about his family's journey after his son Eddie was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 18 months. Almost 19,000 people are now estimated to be living with congenital heart disease in Ireland, with approximately 500-600 children born here with the condition annually.
Speaking on this morning's Joe Finnegan Show, Darren Foley revealed that his now 5-year-old son Eddie had open heart surgery back in September 2019. According to Darren, Eddie was a "healthy baby" which made the initial diagnosis come as a massive "shock."
Although Eddie will continue to undergo surgeries in the future, his proud dad described him as a "happy boy" and thanked staff at Crumlin Hospital, relatives and friends who have supported them over the years: "So, when he was born, as I said, he was a happy, healthy little baby, no indications of anything at all," Darren told Northern Sound, "That Christmas, 2018, he had a little bit of croop so he went to his local doctors in Moynalty and thankfully, they picked up a little bit of a murmur and they just said 'we'll send you on to Crumlin and that's the point at which, I guess our world changed. Dramatically."
