The father of Carnoustie twins Ayley and Chloe Hirsch has told The Courier of his heavy heart at leaving them in the US after life-changing operations.
The cerebral palsy sufferers had an operation at St Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri and are now undergoing a crucial and painful period of physiotherapy as they follow their dreams of walking and running like their friends.
The girls and their mother Averil are due back on February 7, but Frazer had to fly back at the weekend due to work commitments and to take care of Ayley and Chloe’s big sister Lilly.
”I was sad to leave them but I’m self-employed and couldn’t take any more time off, no matter how much it hurt to go,” he said.
The knowledge that the girls are making progress makes the pain of temporary separation easier to bear.
”Every day they are getting physiotherapy and they are getting better and better,” said Frazer. ”They are on the treadmill, bikes and leg working machines. They (the hospital) are making it seem as much like playing for the girls as possible.
”They are responding really well to it.”
Fraser said the twin’s mother was teary at his departure but they are keeping in touch online.
”Averil’s ecstatic about how well they are getting on but she was greeting when I had to go,” he said. ”We’ve been on Skype twice since I got home and it’s really helped the pair of us.”
Of the twins’ recovery and expected return date, he said: ”They’re flying back on the 6th and should be home the next day.
”The hospital have set targets for the girls and they seem really positive about the girls making it. Ayley is to be walking on her own by the time they fly back and Chloe has to be walking confidently with her walker.
“It’s more of a marathon than a sprint at this point. Even if they don’t recover as quickly as we hope for, it might just be a couple of weeks out.”