“We never thought he would make his first birthday never mind see an All Ireland Hurling final!”
Those were the words of a Limerick fan and mother of a very precious little boy.
This weekend’s All Ireland win was an amazing event for many, but for Noah Quish and his family, it was a milestone for another reason.
Noah from Monaleen is 17 months old and was born with an ASD (Atrial Septal Defect) heart defect.
He was also diagnosed with severe laryngomalacia in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, a blockage in the airway causing serious breathing issues along with severe sleep apnea.
Noah also has a rare chromosome deletion, scoliosis, which causes a person’s spine to develop a sideways curve.
Noah has undergone open heart surgery at only five months old, catheter heart surgery and surgery on his airway.
After all this, Noah is only starting to get out and about and the All Ireland Hurling Final has been one of these special occasions.
As his immune system is very low and he can’t risk infection due to his surgeries, Noah can’t spend much time out in public, but Noah and his adoring older sister Leah (6) and his family watched the match together in a friend’s house.
Despite all Noah has to deal with, his mother Una said it hasn’t prevented him from gearing up for Limerick’s special day, “he stayed awake for every minute of it!”
“He still has a road ahead of him but it’s good for him now thanks to doctors and surgery.”
Noah was heading in to Nenagh hospital the day after the match, and Una assured the Limerick Post that he will be all decked out in his Limerick kit.
“He has been through so much in his short life and got to celebrate the biggest event to date.”
“Being able to see Limerick win the All-Ireland was spectacular. We watched the match on the edge of our seats from start to finish.”
“We have relatives in Galway as well so that added to the excitement!”
Una said it was simply “amazing” for Noah to experience Limerick winning the All Ireland.
“We never thought he would make his first birthday never mind see an All Ireland Hurling final!” she said.
