In the summer of 2015, my daughter Sophie was admitted to hospital with a brain haemorrhage. She spent some time in hospital being subjected to various tests to determine the cause of the haemorrhage. It was during these tests that it was determined that Sophie was pregnant. This was very much a surprise to all, but I was delighted at the prospect of being a grandfather for the first time.
This is Joshua's Grandad's story . . .
Sadly, it was in the later part of her pregnancy that it was identified that the baby had a congenital heart condition. Despite the shock Sophie and her partner were determined to give their baby every opportunity for life, so continued with the pregnancy.
Joshua was born on Christmas day 2015 and two days later had his first surgery which was a difficult operation, but he pulled through and made great progress.
In April Joshua had a second surgery and again we nearly lost him, but he had an incredible fighting spirit. Despite many setbacks, Joshua was able to go home in July.
During this period, I found Joshua so inspiring. Every time I saw him, he was always smiling and laughing despite having to take multiple medications several times a day. He had such a will to live and appeared to be doing so well.
Unfortunately, on the 26th of September 2016, Joshua passed away. When I held him in my arms, I had a ‘eureka’ moment when I realised why I was in business and made a commitment to Joshua’s legacy that I would found The Joshua Lynagh Foundation (JLF) to enable other heart babies to have a longer and happier life.
I am delighted to say that the JLF finally achieved Charity Commission registration in May 2020. In cooperation with my fellow trustees, we are committed to the long term success of the JLF to EMPOWER, EDUCATE and build AWARENESS of congenital heart disease in memory of Joshua.
