Husband of tragic NI mum-of-two confirms she remains in ICU on ventilator ‘unable to speak or eat’ after shock diagnosis - ‘All I can do is go by her eyes as her facial expressions have not come back yet’ - GoFundMe started for family has raised £15,405

Simon McCann - whose wife is Deirdre McCann - a secondary school teacher from Augher in Co Tyrone, told the News Letter that whilst she is ‘definitely showing signs of improvement’ she remains ‘on a ventilator, unable to speak or eat’.

He added: “Movement is slowly coming back to her face, feet and hands.

“She is able to answer yes or no questions by nodding or shaking her head.”

Speaking today, the 34-year-old who works for an engineering firm in Augher said his wife’s diagnosis was a”terrible shock”.

“She had a chest infection for two weeks and was coming out of that, then in mid December she started getting pins and needles and I thought she might have just been tired,” he said.

“We did not know what it was and then she rang me from work because she wasn’t fit to move her legs or arms.

“I took her down to A&E in Craigavon and by the hour she was just getting weaker and weaker.

“And with the long wait times in A&E and by the time I went home and got the boys ready for bed, I was phoned to be told she was being moved into ICU.”

Simon said that he believes his sons - aged three-years and two-years - “are doing okay I suppose”.

“They are always asking where mummy is in the morning times,” he added. “They don’t understand where mummy is. We can do a Facetime with her in hospital but they are always asking her what she is doing.

“I tell them mummy is with the doctor as she was jumping on the bed and bumped her head. They don’t understand much more than that.”

The heartbroken husband adds that “all I can do is go by Deirdre’s eyes to see how she is feeling as her facial expressions have not come back yet”.

“She can lightly mouth words, but there is nothing intelligible yet,” he said.

“They have a letter board there where she can point her eyes towards the letter she needs and we make up slow words that way.”

Looking towards Deirdre’s recovery, Simon said: “Doctors can’t tell me when or if she is going to get better.

“The only positive thing they can tell me is that she has got youth on her side.

They say if it is older people they may not regenerate as quickly or at all, but it is a wait and see game,

“Her immune system after the chest infection shut down and then turned on her nerves. Then it started working its way round her body.

“Her condition is thought to be rare and they don’t know why it happens.”

Simon believes his wife is being “most tortured” by not being able to meet her boys.

“I think what is torturing her the most is not being able to see our boys in person,” he said. “I have tried to keep the routine up and keep them going to the childminder because that is what they really need and understand.

“They have an odd bad day, but with a lot of support from family and friends we are still keeping going. It is now a month and a half that Deirdre has been in hospital. She has so much to fight for and Deirdre is definitely stubborn.”

Earlier a heartbreaking GoFundMe page was started to raise funds for tragic Deirdre. Already it has attracted donations of more than £15,000.

Explaining her reason for setting up the appeal, Adela, from Augher, says: “Our lovely friend Deirdre McCann has been diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome.

“Deirdre has been in ICU in Craigavon since 19th January, when this illness knocked her off her feet overnight.

“For those who don’t know this illness, it happens when the immune system gets confused and starts attacking the nervous system, making her almost paralysed.

“She is making steady progress with a little more movement in her arm and face but has a long way to go.

“This illness has taken an enormous strain on her husband Simon and her two young boys, who are 2 and 3 and miss their mummy dearly.

“We are asking for much-needed funds to help Deirdre, Simon and the boys in this journey.

“Every little helps and will go a long way with helping this family recover from what can only be described as your worst nightmare.

“Thank you!!

“Love, Friends of Dee, Simon and Kids x”

See the GoFundMe here