Pain at little angel’s death

December 4th, 2007

baby-pic.psd

A County Derry woman has spoken of her heartbreak just weeks after she buried her baby daughter.

Anita Logue has been left devastated by the death of her 17-month-old daughter Chloe last month.

The tiny tot bravely battled illness throughout her tragically short life before slowly slipping away in her mother’s arms on November 4.

Clutching a picture of her dead daughter in the living room of her Feeny home, 19-year-old Anita explained how little Chloe clung onto life against the odds.

“She was born with brain damage and was sick her whole life,” she said.  “She had no swallow, no suck and she was fed through a tube.  “Chloe also had a tube inserted in her tummy. She also had epilepsy and cerabyl palsy. Just before she died we found out she had a lung disease as well.

“She also wore glasses and needed a hearing aid. She eventually died of pneumonia.   “She spent the first two weeks of her life in Antrim hospital and the rest of it in Altnagelvin Hospital.

“She had three operations and was taken to hospitals in Belfast seven times for them.  “In all we only had Chloe home for six hours in the 17 months she was alive.”

Anita says her little angel had to be fed strong pain killers in her final days.  “She hadn’t been well and they eventually gave her morphine to kill the pain.

“Her breathing was slowing down and her wee heart just couldn’t take it. At about 7.15 her breathing got more shallow and a few minutes later she just stopped breathing in my arms.  “We could have put her on a life support machine but we didn’t want to make her suffer when her suffering was over, even though we wanted to hold on to her.  “She was a great wee girl, a lot of hard work, but it was worth it.”

Chloe’s grandmother Marie paid tribute to family and friends who helped out during Chloe’s short life.

“There were so many people who helped us, all the doctors and nurses in the hospitals and people who came to the wake and funeral.

“We would like to say a special thanks to Margaret Brown who was always there. When we needed something she was the first here and the last to leave.

“Now Chloe is buried beside my mother and at peace.”