OUT OF DARKNESS A RAY OF HOPE IS BORN
Out of the darkness, a ray of hope is born...
By NIGEL GOULD
A PROUD mum and dad share a precious moment with their special little delivery ...
And after a week of unbearable trauma and grief, this tiny bundle of joy is the first glimmer of hope.
Mum Nicola Emery (21) who narrowly escaped death in the Omagh atrocity, gave birth to her baby girl in the South Tyrone Hospital in nearby Dungannon.
Nicola, a Protestant and her partner Michael Mulholland (17), a Catholic, had been out shopping with her mother and cousin when the bomb went off.
Nicola's mother Valerie (41) received serious leg injuries.
She wept tears of joy as she recovered at the Royal Victoria Hospital when she was told of the birth of her granddaughter.
I'm in a daze," she said. "I can't remember very much but I could see things falling down all around me."
Yesterday, Nicola said she'd been terrified she would lose the baby.
"I feel so happy that she's all right," she said.
Michael, who suffered a back injury, said he hoped his child would grow up in a different world.
"I hope that the wee girl can grow up without any violence, without bombs and can be safe.
"We will tell her what happened and how special she is," he said.
But the happiness for the family was tinged with thoughts of Avril Monaghan, who was killed in the blast along with her baby daughter Maura -and who had been due to give birth to twins in the same hospital within the next few weeks.
"It must be so hard for the family. Our heart goes out to them," said Michael, who came from the same village as Avril - Clogher - and knew her.
Doctors at the hospital described the 7lb 6oz baby girl as a "ray of light in our darkness."
Senior consultant Ian Hunter, who has worked there for 15 years, said: "All babies are special, but in these terrible circumstances this baby is even more special."
By NIGEL GOULD
A PROUD mum and dad share a precious moment with their special little delivery ...
And after a week of unbearable trauma and grief, this tiny bundle of joy is the first glimmer of hope.
Mum Nicola Emery (21) who narrowly escaped death in the Omagh atrocity, gave birth to her baby girl in the South Tyrone Hospital in nearby Dungannon.
Nicola, a Protestant and her partner Michael Mulholland (17), a Catholic, had been out shopping with her mother and cousin when the bomb went off.
Nicola's mother Valerie (41) received serious leg injuries.
She wept tears of joy as she recovered at the Royal Victoria Hospital when she was told of the birth of her granddaughter.
I'm in a daze," she said. "I can't remember very much but I could see things falling down all around me."
Yesterday, Nicola said she'd been terrified she would lose the baby.
"I feel so happy that she's all right," she said.
Michael, who suffered a back injury, said he hoped his child would grow up in a different world.
"I hope that the wee girl can grow up without any violence, without bombs and can be safe.
"We will tell her what happened and how special she is," he said.
But the happiness for the family was tinged with thoughts of Avril Monaghan, who was killed in the blast along with her baby daughter Maura -and who had been due to give birth to twins in the same hospital within the next few weeks.
"It must be so hard for the family. Our heart goes out to them," said Michael, who came from the same village as Avril - Clogher - and knew her.
Doctors at the hospital described the 7lb 6oz baby girl as a "ray of light in our darkness."
Senior consultant Ian Hunter, who has worked there for 15 years, said: "All babies are special, but in these terrible circumstances this baby is even more special."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH EXTRA
Ref: BT/0214
Published Date: 22-Aug-98
Related Images
