She’s the little girl who captured the hearts of the nation when she arrived in dramatic style in October. And now an anonymous donor has given baby Zoe Ireland Drake the gift of a safe trip back to her parents’ native Tennessee.
Gavin and Jenny Drake, both optometrists, were flying home to the States after a business trip in Paris when Jenny went into premature labour at 25 weeks.
The airline diverted to Dublin, where Zoe was born four minutes later at the Rotunda, weighing just 1 pound 8 ounces.
After a Christmas spent here and with Zoe doing well in hospital, the couple, who also have a three-year-old son, Aiden, are keen to return home to their family… and now their dream has become a reality, thanks to one extremely generous stranger.
The family had managed to raise €38,000 of the €67,000 necessary for the special medical flight and were at pains to gather the rest.
“We can’t afford to stay and we can’t afford to go.” Jenny said last week.
On The Ray D’Arcy Show today, an anonymous donor pledged the remaining €30,000 needed to repatriate baby Zoe Ireland Drake.
Ray surprised Jenny and Gavin Drake with the news live on air, reading out a text received from a listener, who said he and his family would be thrilled to fund the journey.
The text read: “Dear Ray, I will fund the balance for that family from Tennessee, the only condition is no publicity.”
It seems miracles really do happen.
Here is the magical moment the Drakes got the news they have been waiting for.
