Positivity: Little Girl’s Tragic Death Is Memorialized in Newborn’s Name
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, a little girl has been named after the person whose organ donation saved her brother’s life:
Transplant boy’s new sister is named after girl whose heart saved him
By Sarah Brett
18 September 2006The mother of Ulster heart swap boy Paul Donnelly was today celebrating after giving birth to a daughter named after the young girl whose heart saved his life.
Little Nicole Donnelly - named after tragic Portadown youngster Nicole Black - was born in Londonderry last week.
Eight-year-old Nicole died tragically in June after a freak accident while pretending to be a horse in the garden, and her heart was used to save the life of the four-year-old Derry boy, who suffers from dilated cardiomyopathy - an incurable enlargement of the heart.
Paul had two pacemakers fitted during the four years of his life before he was rushed to Freeman Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in June and given his new heart.
Proud new mother, Bella Donnelly, said today she never had any doubt that she would name her new child after the young donor, once she found out she was carrying a girl.
She said: “I always knew I was having a girl, and when I found out about this wee girl (Nicole Black), I needed to know who she was.
“She’s 100% perfect. She’s beautiful. It’s such a big relief that it’s all over us now.
“Because Paul was so sick from the start I’m a bit panicky with Nicole but I’m told she’s perfectly healthy.”
Paul is also delighted with the new arrival, and wants to help look after his new baby sister who weighed in at 8lbs 6oz at birth.
“He wants to help with her,” said Bella.
“When he holds her, it’s like they have a special bond, they’re so at ease with each other. I couldn’t ask for anything else, a happy ending.”
Bella said Paul’s illness, and the wait to find out if he would get a new heart in time, proved a difficult period. But he has since amazed everyone with the speed of his recovery.
“When I look back at the last year I don’t know how I got through it with wee Paul,” she said.
“When I found out he was getting the transplant it was like somebody had handed me £9m.
“Paul still goes to Newcastle every fortnight and up to Belfast every other week. He’s still on 11 different types of medication but they hope to wean that down to two eventually.
“He never mentions the operation.”
Bella spent 12 hours in labour while Nicole was making her entrance into the world, but said: “It was so worth it.”
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph recently, Nicole Black’s mum Barbara described Bella’s intention to call her new child Nicole as “marvellous news”.
The Portadown girl died in June in a tragic accident. Nicole and a few other children were pretending to be show jumping horses when she tripped and hit her head on the ground.
Although Nicole was fully conscious, her condition eventually deteriorated after arriving at accident and emergency.
After being told hope had gone, the family decided to offer Nicole’s organs for transplant.
Bella Donnelly said today: “What can you say to someone who’s done that? Nicole . . . there’s no better name.”
