Help Support Baby Aoife, Her Big Sister Maddie and family

Hi, my name is Colleen Smith and I have created this GoFundMe as a way to reach out to those who may be able to help my family out during a time when two of our three children are facing serious health conditions and lengthy hospitalisations.

Aoife's Story

Aoife was born on the 26th of February, 2024. At just two days old, she had all but 11 cm of her small bowel removed because it twisted while she was in the womb, causing it to lose its blood supply. This has left her with a condition called short gut syndrome, which causes her to be dependent on TPN for the foreseeable future. We were told shortly after her birth that Aoife and our family had a long road ahead as she would require hospitalisation for at least a year. She is now 14 months old and we are still in hospital.

After a lengthy stay at Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin City Centre, we moved to St Peter's Ward at Crumlin Children's Hospital, where the main gastrointestinal medical team works. Aoife's extensive hospitalisation has caused our family to have to balance living between home and the Ronald McDonald House in Crumlin to ensure that a parent is always there for Aoife while making sure our 10-year-old son James is still getting to school. During this past year, Aoife has suffered from line sepsis multiple times, which has left her very sick.

Madison's Health Struggles

After a difficult year rearranging our lives to be there for our young daughter, our 14-year-old daughter Madison was diagnosed with a large tumour on her spine that has caused her to suffer from scoliosis. Other symptoms she suffers from include fainting spells, loss of power in her legs and constant pain. She has undergone one surgery already that did not go as planned. It left her having to learn how to walk again and she still needs surgery to address the issue before the tumour causes more damage. She is facing the possibility of losing the ability to walk permanently if her doctors cannot find a way to treat her condition. As this is a very rare issue, her surgical team is struggling to come up with a way to correct her spine or remove the tumour without causing more damage.

Our Current Situation

These two unrelated health problems with our children have put a substantial financial strain on our family, as we now have a very limited amount of money coming in. I have been unable to return to work and my husband has seen a substantial reduction in his self-employed income due to changes in the industry he works in. We also must train in home TPN administration so we can bring Aoife home. Over the last year, we have gone through all of our savings to keep food on the table, pay rent and cover the costs of the constant travel between our home in Virginia, County Cavan to Dublin.

How You Can Help

This GoFundMe has been created to help ease the financial burden our family currently faces. Funds raised will go toward covering bills, travel costs, rent and other essential costs of living so we can continue to be there for both of our daughters while ensuring that our son continues to enjoy a happy life.

Any amount you can give is deeply appreciated and if you are unable to donate, sharing this page would mean the world to us.

We thank everyone who has offered love, support, prayers and financial assistance from the bottom of our hearts. Aoife and Madison still have a long fight ahead of them, but your help will go a long way toward alleviating the financial strain we face as we continue to fight alongside them.