Laois teacher to cycle 1,000km for hospitals that saved his twins’ lives
Premature twins Páidí and Ellie with parents Pádraic and Teresa Kavanagh
A LAOIS teacher is set to cycle 1,000km in June, to raise money for two hospitals that saved his premature twins’ lives.
Ballacolla man Pádraic Kavanagh, devoted dad to ‘miracle twins’ Ellie and Páidí, will cycle to work in Killenard NS on a borrowed bicycle throughout the month, in aid of The Coombe Hospital and Children’s Health Ireland Crumlin.
Pádraic and his wife Teresa, a teacher at St Fergal’s College in Rathdowney, wanted to give back for the life-saving care their twins received in Crumlin and The Coombe, after they were born 13 weeks early.
Now aged three, Páidí has a condition that makes his heart beat at a very fast irregular pace, while Ellie has survived sepsis as well as emergency laser eye and bowel surgery.
Even before the challenge begins, donations to the ‘Twins Thank You Tour’ on iDonate.ie reached €8,600 on 23 May, with a target of €10,000.
Pádraic said both hospitals hold a very special place in the family’s hearts, as they saved the twins’ lives ‘more times than we can count’.
He admitted that the tour will be a massive challenge, as he’s not a regular cyclist and had to borrow a bike for the month. He plans to cycle from his home village to Killenard NS three times a week, a round trip of 76 km, making up the remaining distance on weekends. He hopes to finish the challenge on 27 June, his last day of school.
Giving a snapshot of the twins’ incredible battle for life on the fundraising page, Pádraic said their story is ‘one of fear, resilience, hope and overwhelming gratitude’. Ellie and Páidí were born at just 27 weeks, fragile and impossibly small but already fierce fighters.
From early in the pregnancy, there were major challenges. Páidí was diagnosed in the womb with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), a condition that caused his tiny heart to race at over 240 beats a minute. Medication to slow his heart was essential but it came at a terrible cost. The treatment in the womb also affected Ellie, whose heart rate began to fall dangerously low.
Pádraic recalled: ‘We were suddenly faced with a heartbreaking decision but in truth, there was no decision to make. The twins needed to be delivered to save them both. They arrived in a whirlwind of urgency, each rushed into separate incubators, surrounded by a flurry of medical staff.’
The first 48 hours were among the longest in the new parents’ lives, as doctors fought to stabilise Páidí’s heart. Just as the baby boy began to show signs of improvement, Ellie’s tiny stomach began to swell at four days old. Within hours, she was on her way to Crumlin in an incubator, blue lights flashing on the ambulance that carried her away.
Surgeons quickly discovered that her bowel had twisted, a life-threatening condition that required immediate surgery. A section of her bowel had to be removed.
Pádraic said: ‘We clung to hope through the longest night of our lives, as Ellie was moved into intensive care. The next 24 hours were critical. She was so small, so delicate but so full of fight.’ Ellie was strong enough to return to her little brother in The Coombe on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, there was a high risk of infection and she started a course of antibiotics for sepsis within two days.
Pádraic and Teresa’s attention and worry shifted from twin to twin, as Páidí was still experiencing episodes of SVT and Ellie’s bowel still wasn’t functioning properly.
Pádraic said: ‘Thankfully, the wonderful team at The Coombe acted promptly and the twins recovered enough to face their next challenges.’
Anxious months of hospital treatment and surgery followed. Ellie was finally discharged after 64 days in hospital but it was another 40 days before Páidí could join her. After 104 days, they finally travelled home as a family of four on the happiest day of their lives. While they still face ongoing medical challenges, the three-year-old twins are thriving today.
‘We can’t thank the staff of both hospitals enough, they are our heroes,’ Pádraic said. ‘We are endlessly grateful for what we’ve been given and we hope to raise funds to support the incredible, life-saving work that continues in these hospitals every day.
‘Every euro raised will go towards helping more families like ours, ensuring that critically ill babies get the expert care and love they need to survive and thrive.’
