When your child has physical struggles that make navigating life difficult, some parents become more determined than ever to open up their world. That’s exactly what OisÃn Traynor’s parents have done. The 4-year-old from Northern Ireland was born 25-weeks prematurely weighing just over two pounds. He spent the first six months of his life in a hospital struggling to survive.
In time, OisÃn proved to be a fighter! Although he has a number of serious health conditions including quadriplegic cerebral palsy, his feisty spirit and big smile reveal a winning personality. His family has traveled the world seeking treatment for him, and along they way they strive to give him as many new life experiences as possible.
OisÃn’s mother, Seanin Traynor, says living through his traumatic birth and scary early days means they cherish every minute they get with their son.
“He shouldn’t be here, we were told multiple times to say our goodbyes to him as a baby and that he wasn’t going to make it, but he is here and he’s our little miracle,” she explained.
OisÃn and his family recently traveled to Boston, Massachusetts from his home in County Armagh for a three-week physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and feeding therapy treatment at the NAPA Center. With another surgery looming on the horizon, Seanin was keen to find a way to lift her son’s spirits while giving him a taste of a new city.
She reached out to an American friend connected to the O’Shea Chaplin Academy of Irish Dance in Boston, who in turn introduced her to a member of the Boston Police Department. They set up a meet-and-greet for OisÃn and his 2-year-old sister, Naoise. Originally, just two members of the Boston P.D. were scheduled to attend, but when word got out that a little boy from Northern Ireland wanted to meet them, more and more cops turned up!
“A lot of the officers had Irish connections, being from Boston, so they were very interested in finding out where we were from and couldn’t be more generous with their time,” said Seanin.
Ultimately, more than half a dozen officers showed up to pose for photographs and answer questions from OisÃn and his family. They let the boy hear the siren on the squad car, gave him a tour of the cruiser, and awarded him with a Boston Police Department patch declaring him an honorary officer for the day.
“His face just lit up when he saw the officers come out and meet him, they were so lovely and treated him with such kindness,” his mother recalled.
The smiles didn’t end there! Seanin says OisÃn kept on smiling all the way back home, and he sailed through his surgery in Belfast the following week. But according to Officer Christine Melia Marini of the Boston P.D., the pleasure was all theirs.
“It was such a pleasure for us to meet him and his family and seeing his smile when we sounded the siren on the cruiser was icing on the cake,” she said, adding, “He is a strong boy and hearing his family talk about how much progress he makes when he comes to Boston for medical care reinforced how fortunate we are to live here.”
Thank you to the Boston Police department for rolling out the red (or blue?) carpet for a very deserving family! We wish OisÃn well as he continues to see new and interesting facets of the world around him.
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