When Matthew was only 10 days old, his parents Eilish and John faced a devastating reality. Matthew had an inoperable heart condition and had four weeks to live.
Eilish and John were told that Matthew would need palliative care and were determined to bring Matthew home.
Eilish remembers those early days vividly. “It was overwhelming, but one thing we knew for certain – we wanted to bring Matthew home. We wanted him in his cot, in our bedroom, in our home, surrounded by love. We also wanted his big brother Patrick to meet him properly.”
The timing of his devastating prognosis and discharge home was made even more emotional as Patrick’s playschool graduation was that evening. Eilish and John were determined to be there as a family.
“We wanted a family photo of the four of us. We didn’t know if we’d ever get another chance to celebrate a family occasion altogether.”
With the support of Jack and Jill, the Begley’s made it home and captured their first family photo that evening.
Since then, Matthew has continued to amaze everyone.
He is almost two years old and whilst he is very sick and needs constant care; he is doing well and loves being outside, playing with his toys and doing jigsaws.
Thanks to support from Jack and Jill, the Begley family can focus on what matters most – making memories together, cherishing every moment and ensuring Matthew gets to live his best life, surrounded by love.
