BABY Daisy Hughes is a champion in her own right, having arrived into the world just 23 weeks into her mum’s pregnancy and weighing only one pound.
But now she’s also a champion fundraiser, after raising the largest amount at the Water Babies Splashathon in St Gabriel’s pool, where she made a splash to the tune of €2,000.
Water Babies from Limerick and all over Ireland have helped raise €90,000 for Children’s Health Foundation through their sponsored Splashathon, which took place over two weeks in April.
The €2,000 donation made the young Limerick lady Daisy Hughes and her parents the top fundraisers at the Splashaton.
Daisy was born in October 2021 at just 23 weeks gestation and weighing just one pound. She spent six months being cared for in the Coombe Hospital and in Crumlin.
The resilient young lady was resuscitated, had bowel surgery twice, necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) twice, sepsis twice, two eye surgeries, lung failure, heart failure, and a brain bleed.
But despite her heroic health journey, she is happy and energetic and loves swimming with Yvonne, her Water Babies teacher.
She and her family were presented with a trip to Centre Parcs in Longford in appreciation of their amazing fundraising achievement.
Children’s Health Foundation raises vital funds to support sick children and their families in Children’s Health Ireland hospitals and urgent care centres – from funding vital life-saving equipment and providing essential patient and parental supports to making ground-breaking paediatric research possible.
At Water Babies classes around the country, children completed a sponsored swimming challenge suitable for their age and ability, dressed up as their favourite superhero in a specially themed lesson.
Carol McNally, of Water Babies Ireland, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to raise €90,000 through Water Babies’ Splashathon this year – our little swimmers and their families have been tremendous fundraisers.”
“We are so proud to support Children’s Health Foundation with this year’s Splashathon and we’re very pleased to have raised over €215,000 for children’s charities since Water Babies launched in Ireland 14 years ago.”
