DOCTORS IN London were forced to cancel life-saving surgery on Co Kilkenny girl Jamie Murphy (11) at the weekend because they concluded the risks were “too high”.
Her bitterly disappointed family brought her back to Ireland on Saturday night just three days after travelling to England with high hopes.
Jamie’s parents, Emer and Peter Murphy, and her aunt Triona O’Brien had accompanied her to Great Ormond Street hospital last Wednesday. They had sought treatment in England after claiming that cutbacks at Crumlin children’s hospital in Dublin had resulted in unacceptable delays in treating Jamie’s severe and deteriorating scoliosis, or curvature of the spine.
Back at her home in Graiguenamanagh yesterday, Ms O’Brien explained that the “brilliant” medical team in London had carried out a series of “pre-op tests” and decided that the risks of operating at this time were unacceptably high.
"We were shocked by the severity of the diagnosis and to discover that she is much worse than we knew," she told The Irish Timesyesterday. The hospital advised that the girl needs to undergo treatment "for two to three weeks" using specialist equipment to strengthen her lungs before surgery could take place.
The family is hoping to arrange the treatment at home. It is hoped that the girl will then be able to return to London to have the operation.
Ms O’Brien said that Jamie, who is confined to a wheelchair having been born with spina bifida, was “in good spirits” despite the gruelling demands of the journey and the medical tests.
But the little girl was disappointed as she had been “all geared up for her operation” which she hoped “would make her back straight”.
She added: “Jamie’s a fighter and everyone’s rooting for her and praying for her.”
An anonymous benefactor, who is paying for the treatment after being moved by media reports of Jamie’s plight, is understood to be the sender of “eight dozen brilliant yellow tulips and a big soft toy” which arrived at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The benefactor, who has not met Jamie, made the offer to help through Green Party TD Mary White, who has been liaising with the family. Yesterday Ms White said “this is a grim time for the family” but “Jamie’s spirit is indomitable”.
She said she had invited members of Jamie’s extended family to attend a meeting tomorrow morning of the Oireachtas health committee which is to be addressed by Health Service Executive chief executive Brendan Drumm.
She said she had been assured by the Department of Health and Children that that no child had been denied access to emergency life-saving surgery due to cutbacks at the Crumlin hospital.