Julie Flaherty
Speech at the Ulster Unionist Party Conference
#UUP2014
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
Jake Flaherty
An Italian friend of mine once told me an old saying I have never forgotten. "There will always be a reason why you meet people. Either you need them to change your life or you're the one that will change theirs."
I feel that this now applies to me and the way my life has changed-my life before Jake, my life with Jake and my life after Jake. By this I mean, having my son Jake, he has changed me forever-I will never be the same person I was before and also in the people that my little son introduced me too, and those I met through him on our travels on the scenic route that is life with a child with that little thing that made him extra special-An extra Chromosome.
You see, I was asked to share my experience of the health service here in Northern Ireland. But it is not my story-it is that of my darling only son, so it is his experience that I wish to share with you today.
Jake Flaherty was born to me and my husband Wayne on the 19th of May 2011 after an uneventful pregnancy a very quick traumatic delivery followed in Craigavon Area Hospital. We were starting out on an unknown journey anyway as first time parents, but little did we know what truly lay ahead for the 3 of us. Our lives were transformed in the most extraordinary way by our little angel with his broken wing. We found ourselves thrust into the midst of a very different world-a strange world of diagnoses, consultants, doctors, nurses, monitors, machines, feeding tubes, oxygen supplies, and every nature of health professional you can imagine-all the most wonderful people who helped us and got us through every day.
Jake lived for 732 days. Every single day of his life, whether at home with us or in hospital, involved the input of a health professional.
Before starting my family, I had a successful career, and was very used to recording everything-so to keep track of what was going on, I kept Jakes books-they became notorius in hospital, some perhaps nervous of what I was writing at 3am....
During this past week, as a passionate supporter of keeping childrens heart surgery in Belfast, I have been very struck by the use of figures and statistics used in defence of the latest International Review Panels report...
Well, I HAVE MY OWN STATISTICS I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE WITH YOU, AND WITH THE HEALTH MINISTER.
Jake was 1 of 25,000 babies born in NI in 2011
Jake was 1 in 1,000 babies born in NI with Downs Syndrome in 2011
Jake was 1 in 200 babies born in NI with a Congenital Heart Defect in 2011
Jake was 1 of 97 babies who received life saving heart surgery here in Belfast
Jake was one of 27 babies with a tracheostomy in NI
Jake was 1 of 6 babies born in NI with Hirschsprungs Disease in 2011
In the first month of his life alone, Jake was treated by over 20 consultants and doctors, countless nurses, and other health professionals. I have all their names-it had reached over 50 ...
Jake was cared for at home, in Craigavon Area Hospital and in Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children and was loved by everyone who so tenderly cared for and did everything in their power, here in Northern Ireland, to keep him with us.
Jake, and the people we met along the way, changed my life forever. I hope that in some little way that Jake will have left his mark with you too.
I will never give up Jake- a little person, a human being, a fighter. Not a number and not a statistic- except our 1 in a million.
Thank you