A SEVEN-year-old Limerick boy who requires life-saving scoliosis surgery has been provisionally scheduled for the operation again after it was cancelled three times this year.
The Limerick Post first reported two weeks ago how Noah Quish’s surgery had been cancelled only days after his mother Una Quish told her son’s hospital that “time is rapidly running out” for her son.
Mrs Quish said Noah’s ribcage is squeezing his lungs because of a “massive curve” growing on his spine, that was first diagnosed five years ago.
“Fingers crossed it isn’t cancelled again, we head up to Crumlin Children’s Hospital on April 14th for surgery on the fifteenth,” Mrs Quish said.
“They rang me last Monday to say we had a provisional date for surgery on the 15th, so hopefully, you would think they would hardly cancel it again – maybe if there is an emergency that’s fine – but hopefully it will go ahead.”
“We met Noah’s surgeon last week and he said Noah had gone very stiff.”
Noah’s Cobb angle – the length of the curve on his spine – has grown towards 100 degrees in recent weeks, meaning he is classified as a severe scoliosis patient and requires surgery.
Noah, from Monaleen, has extremely complex health conditions. He was born with a heart condition, hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain), a chromosome deletion, laryngomalacia (voice box defect), he is non-verbal and is fed via a tube inserted in his abdomen.
Although Noah was deemed fit for surgery twice previously this year, his surgeon was not available to perform the spinal operation.
The surgery had been cancelled on a further three previous occasions late last year when Noah was too ill.
Noah underwent six brain surgeries between last July and December last year after he contracted meningitis when a shunt inserted in his head to drain fluid from his brain became infected.
He recovered from the life-threatening infection, but on March 1 this year, Ms Quish shared how her son was still waiting for a date for scoliosis surgery.
In an email sent to Crumlin Children’s Hospital on March 4, seen by the Limerick Post, Ms Quish told the hospital: “Noah’s organs are being distorted, his weight is decreasing, his lung function is being affected, and he is in pain.”
“We feel that time is rapidly running out for Noah and he needs his spinal surgery now.”
The email stated that, due to Noah’s complex health conditions, “a neurosurgeon should be physically present” at his scoliosis surgery.
Mrs Quish said her son needs his scoliosis surgery as soon as possible: “Noah is now suffering, things are getting worse and he needs this surgery. His knees are swollen, he actually has bursitis (inflammation) of the knees, and it’s all because of his spine.
