Dixon family recall how CHI helped them when needed

Children’s Health Foundation has launched the ‘Save a Smile’ Campaign, a reminder that at Christmas, some children don’t wake up at home, they wake up in hospital, but with the support and generosity of supporters across the country, they don’t miss out on the magic.

Among those supporters are the Dixon family, who held a tractor run fundraisers in December, and handed over the money raised to the hospital in Mullingar and to Crumlin on the Tuesday before Christmas.

When Melinda Dixon looks back on her son Dylan’s first signs of illness, she remembers how ordinary the early days seemed. It was January 2012 and he was two and half years old when he developed a throat infection, but there was nothing to suggest anything more serious.

“He got a new bike for Christmas and he was out on that a lot,” says Melinda, who lives in Killucan.

Melinda took Dylan to the doctor because of the throat infection and a swollen knee. “The doctor said that his knee could be from cycling the bike too much,” she says.

He was prescribed antibiotics, and he recovered from the infection.

Then, a few weeks later, Melinda put him into the bath and noticed something alarming. “His two knees were swollen,” she recalls. She gave him some pain relief and decided to review him in the morning.

When he woke, both his knees and both wrists were swollen. “I didn’t even dress him. We put him in the car and took him into the emergency department in Mullingar,” she says.

Melinda was in her early 20s at the time and Dylan was her and her husband Shane’s first child. “I was only young at the time myself,” she says. “I wouldn’t have known. He was our first, so I don’t know what’s going on here.”

In Mullingar, the doctors recognised the condition immediately. “Before they even took bloods, they said it was rheumatoid arthritis,” she says.

The diagnosis left both parents stunned. “I knew arthritis, but I wasn’t sure of the rheumatoid part. We looked at each other and said, ‘what is this all about?’.” Dylan spent five days in Mullingar. He received IV treatment and blood tests confirmed the diagnosis. Melinda remembers feeling overwhelmed and frightened. “It was hard, to be quite honest with you,” she says. “It was hard for him, even though he didn’t really know what was going on, but it was hard for him.”

The consultant explained how the throat infection may have played a role. “We were told with the throat infection that the two bloods collided, the red cells and the white cells,” she says. “That is what came about then. That made sense to us when they explained it.”

The family were referred to CHI at Crumlin, where Dylan’s care began in earnest. From the first visit, Melinda felt supported. “From the word go, Crumlin were just outstanding,” she says.

His first steroid injections were carried out in Temple Street because that was where his consultant was that day. After that, all his care was in Crumlin. “He was getting injections at home,” she says. “He was only small and it was hard for him and it was hard for us.”

As Dylan grew, treatment became more complex. His condition flared at times and several medications stopped working. “He found it difficult to get out of bed and it was hard for him to go up the stairs or even cycle the bike,” says his mother.

He eventually moved to medication that suited him and which he still uses. “There was more shouting and roaring,” she says of the early years of injections. “He didn’t want them. His father would have to hold his arms and I’d have to try and inject him.”

Dylan is now 17 and now that he is older, he self injects. “He feels he can do it now. It’s, ‘look, I’m nearly an adult. I have to do this and that is the end of it’,” says Melinda.

School also posed challenges. During his Junior Cycle exams Dylan’s hand locked with pain. Crumlin supported the school in arranging a scribe. “They were amazing down there too,” Melinda says. She is hopeful the same support will be available for his Leaving Certificate.

Sport has always been a positive outlet for Dylan. “He loves playing Gaelic football,” she says. “People say, your young lad is amazing. You wouldn’t think he has anything wrong on that pitch.” What they do not see is the recovery afterwards. “Wait until he comes home,” she says. “He has to be in the bath for about an hour with Epsom salts and muscle soak.”

In 2018, Dylan faced another major setback. A large farm gate fell on him while he was helping his father and he broke his femur. Melinda insisted the ambulance take him to Crumlin. “Crumlin has all his records,” she told them.

The hospital team acted immediately. “As soon as they hit Crumlin, everyone was straight on it,” she says. Dylan required surgery and a cage with eight bars to stabilise the bone. He was in hospital for several weeks and had the cage for 13 weeks at home. “We always had to be careful cleaning around the bars,” she says. “If they got infected, it would go inside the leg.”

Despite the challenges, Melinda describes overwhelming gratitude for the staff in Crumlin. “I can’t thank all the hospitals that helped us through it,” she says. “The support we had was absolutely outstanding.”

Dylan’s siblings, Connor and Kerrie, also attended Crumlin for their own health needs and Melinda says the staff always made the family feel welcome. “You were never made feel you were in the way.”

Dylan now attends adult services in Westmeath, and Melinda says he still talks about Crumlin. “He actually even says to me, I miss going to Crumlin,” she says. “He loved them all up there.”

This year the family decided to give something back. They organised a tractor run in Killucan on December 7. Samantha Heaney from Sammie TV Media attended to support the event. Funds raised went to St Joseph’s Ward in Crumlin and to wards connected to families helping with the event, including cardiology and the cancer unit. Some support will also go to the paediatric ward in Mullingar.

As the Save a Smile campaign is ongoing, Melinda hopes people will remember the importance of fundraising. “If anybody can do it, do it,” she says. “Anything that helps the children is worth it. We have seen that ourselves.”

Help Children’s Health Foundation ‘Save a Smile’ this Christmas, Support the appeal at childrenshealth.ie or text SAVEASMILE to 50300 to donate €4. (*Texts cost €4, Children’s Health Foundation will receive a minimum of €3.40.

Service Provider: FUNDRAISING SOLUTIONS. Helpline 012022810.)