Nickey Jnr and his family have been targeted by vile trolls on social media
Ever since little Nickey was born premature at 2.2 pounds – the weight of a bag of sugar, and less than one third of the average weight of a newborn – he’s been facing non-stop medical emergencies.
Cork mum Nicola’s baby was delivered by emergency C-section at the Coombe Hospital in Dublin on 3 May 2023, and was immediately rushed away to urgent care. Just a few weeks afterwards, the newborn – who was lovingly named Nickey after his dad – was diagnosed with Covid and spent the next 4 months fighting for his life in intensive care. Nicola’s “little warrior” has been in and out of emergency rooms ever since. Nickey, 2, spends much of his time in hospital and when he’s home, he needs 24/7 supervision and has to be taken for regular check-ups to monitor a number of health conditions.
Nicola is originally from Youghal, and she has six other children with her partner Nickey Snr. The family say their youngest’s health struggles take a big toll on all of them – but they’re determined to keep fighting alongside him and do whatever it takes to give him the best life they can. Nickey Jnr has been diagnosed with a wide range of medical conditions throughout his life. These include an atrial septal defect (a hole in his heart), a cleft palate, chronic lung disease, an undersized kidney and a TINN13 gene – a genetic mutation that could lead to heart failure.
But despite all his struggles, this little tot has shown outstanding bravery and can still always bring a smile to his loved ones’ faces. Nickey’s story has made headlines many times before, which has brought him quite a bit of fame. He was previously made an honorary Garda as part of the Little Blue Heroes programme, and even got a chance to meet his favourite singer, Nathan Carter, before a gig in Cork last year.
His family are currently living up in Athy, Kildare, but has still seen incredible support from the wider Cork community over the years through countless fundraisers. Their biggest campaign – the GoFundMe page – has brought in a whopping €77k, which has gone a very long way in sorting accommodation while Nickey was in hospital, and in helping out with medical bills.
But even though the family has gotten incredible support – evil trolls on social media have targeted them and little Nickey countless times over the years.
His dad Nickey Snr told Cork Beo: “The GoFundMe, it’s a good thing and it’s a bad thing. And the amount of hatred you’d get, comments on social media like ‘Why don’t you get rid of that child, you have six more.’ It would get into your head, definitely, and there were times we were thinking of taking it all down. But if we do that, where do we get funding from then?”
Nickey Snr and Nicola are both out of work because of their son’s health struggles. Their GoFundMe is their best chance at getting vital medical procedures for Nickey Jnr, like a double-lung transplant in Boston and a possible kidney transplant down the road. The couple have learned they’ll have to travel abroad for many of these procedures as their son cannot get them in Ireland.
Nickey Jnr’s health has faced near ‘non-stop’ setbacks over the years – but his family are always right by his side supporting him, and are urging for more donations to safeguard his health for the future. If you’d like to donate directly to help support Nickey, you can do so on his GoFundMe page here.
