Heart Children charity makes Lexie a star
Lexie loves dancing, swimming and ballet

Heart Children charity makes Lexie a star

A TALLAGHT schoolgirl who was born with five cardiac conditions is making a star turn in a charity calendar in aid of Heart Children.

Springfield girl Lexie Lynch, nine, who attends St Mark’s Senior National School, is appearing as the star for the month of November in the 2023 calendar, for the third year in a row.

The young girl has faced a lot of adversity in her life but has been helped with the support of her parents, Niamh Griffin and Stephen Lynch, and her younger brother, Parker.

Explaining how Lexie’s health problems began, her mother Niamh told The Echo: “I was pregnant, and I was super excited.

“I was at the 20-week scan, where I was going to find out if I was having a boy or a girl, but when the scan was being done, the midwife’s face changed.

“We were brought into a separate room and a consultant came in and told us that they thought she had a heart condition called double outlet right ventricle.”

However, when Lexie was born in October 2013, doctors realised that her condition was even more severe than they originally thought.

“She was born very sick,” said Niamh. “They brought her straight to Crumlin and at two hours old she had her first surgery.

“They found out she had five cardiac conditions, TDA, AFD, VSD, TVA, and LVOTO.

“She was put on oxygen and tube-fed straight away, and at one week old they did her first major surgery to correct the five issues, but she didn’t come out of it very smoothly.

“She had to have an external pacemaker fitted and was put on dialysis.

“It was slightly terrifying, because at the same time, they said there were no other children with the same conditions Lexie had.

Lexie with mother Niamh and brother Parker

“In all fairness, they said Lexie wasn’t going to make it, but she’s nine now and has had five major surgeries and hundreds of procedures, but if you saw her now and she walked by you, you wouldn’t know she was any different.”

The family linked in with Heart Children Ireland three years ago, which provides a range of services to support children who suffer from congenital heart defects and their parents and families.

The charity then asked Niamh if Lexie might like to appear in the charity’s annual calendar, and she jumped at the chance – and has appeared in the calendar every year since.

“They are a fantastic service,” explained Niamh. “We’ve fundraised a good lot for them, with things like parachute jumps and tattoo days to help the cardiac wards in Crumlin and the Mater.

“Children like Lexie, when they turn 17 or 18, will go to the Mater for treatment.”

As for the calendar, Niamh said Lexie thoroughly enjoyed being in front of the camera and appearing in the calendar in aid of a cause that means so much to her and her family.

“Lexie loves getting her photo taken, she thinks it’s great fun,” she said. “It’s such a big deal for her because she’s so well now.

“In all fairness, you could spend €10 on coffee and a scone, or you could spend €10 on a calendar to support an amazing charity – it all adds up and it helps these children.”

Lexie, who also has autism, a sensory processing disorder and insomnia, is a happy, energetic young girl who has taken everything in her stride.

“If you saw Lexie, she’s such a happy and bubbly little girl,” said Niamh. “You would never know what she’s been through.

“She’s very good at taking her medication, and she doesn’t let it stop her. She does dancing, swimming and ballet, and goes to pantos.

“I do worry about her a lot, because we never know what’s going to happen, so we’re constantly on edge, but I want her to live the best life – I don’t want her to be like, ‘I can’t do that because of my health’.

“She loves doing things, and I want her to grow up not necessarily as a sick child. They don’t know what will happen to her, because there’s no child like her that they can compare her to.

“We just take things as they happen and make the most of everything.”

The Heart Children Ireland calendar can be purchased for €10 online.

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