The Good News Thread

The Real Laoislad · May 13, 2009, 11:39:34 AM

Stories of recession,job losses,deaths, and general grumpiness or gear grinders not allowed..
I guess that rules pintsofguinness out of posting so.....

The Real Laoislad · May 13, 2009, 11:40:26 AM

Woman has sight restored after 46 years of blindness

FOR 46 years, Jenny O'Connell was afraid to hope her sight could be restored but yesterday she saw her family for the first time. Doctors at a Dublin hospital partially restored her vision with a rare treatment.

Ms O'Connell from Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, lost her vision at the age of 11. After a complex procedure to insert an artificial cornea at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, she was yesterday able to see again with her right eye.

"What a shock. I just can't believe it actually happened . . . it's all my dreams together, but at the same time I wasn't hoping for it, you know. I was afraid to."

Ms O'Connell, who had never seen her husband Seán or her son and daughter before, was resting in hospital last night after being visited by family members.

"I've never seen what Michael and Martina looks like, any of my family, or my husband," she told RTÉ news yesterday.

The event was tinged with added poignancy by the fact that Ms O'Connell's husband had lost his sight in recent years due to diabetes.

The first person Ms O'Connell saw was her consultant ophthalmologist William Power, who said the treatment, known as Boston keratoprosthesis, was rare in Ireland.

"In layman's terms it's an artificial plastic window that goes into a person's cornea," he said.

Mr Power said the custom-made device had been inserted into Ms O'Connell's eye four weeks ago and covered over with a flap of skin, which was removed yesterday.

"We're the only centre in the country doing it. In the last five or six years we've put in about 13 but Jenny is quite unusual in terms of being without vision for so long."

Mr Power said that before treatment, Ms O'Connell was only "vaguely aware" of an extremely bright light being shone in front of her right eye, and her left eye was already irreparably damaged.

But yesterday she was able to read numbers and letters on a chart when the bandage was removed two hours after the final stage of the surgery.

Ms O'Connell lost her sight following a bad reaction to a medicine, which lead to a very rare condition known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome. It was the morning of her sister's birthday party, she recalled.

"I wasn't feeling well and daddy called me in, came into me and said to me was I not getting up. So I asked him to put the light on and I realised he said he had the light on, so we realised it wasn't – I couldn't see."

thebigfella · May 13, 2009, 11:41:07 AM

Quote from: The Real Laoislad on May 13, 2009, 11:39:34 AM
Stories of recession,job losses,deaths, and general grumpiness or gear grinders not allowed..
I guess that rules pintsofguinness out of posting so.....

What about 2 for 1 offers in Tesco's? Only if they are on Irish stuff though.

Ping Pong Santa · May 13, 2009, 11:43:07 AM

On stick of my two stick Kit Kat this morning was all chocolate.

Tankie · May 13, 2009, 11:46:14 AM

Gonna head to Edinburgh for a 2night trip to watch the Heineken Cup final, gonna cost a fortune but roll on Leinster....cant wait!

Lecale2 · May 13, 2009, 11:48:01 AM

Could this be merged with the "Price of Drink In Newry" thread?

Bogball XV · May 13, 2009, 12:25:32 PM

The unemployment rate still hasn't hit the anticipated peak of 38%.
In further good news, the rampant hyper-inflation predicted by most economic observers has not yet started to rear its ugly head.

pintsofguinness · May 13, 2009, 12:27:31 PM

I havent been made redundant yet, that's all my good news.

Dinny Breen · May 13, 2009, 12:30:17 PM

I'm off to Madrid on my Stag tomorrow where it will be a nice 23°C

bcarrier · May 13, 2009, 01:06:09 PM

Fair play to you RLL. Heres loads ..

http://optimistworld.com/News.aspx

D4S · May 13, 2009, 02:39:36 PM

Good man DInny Breen have a great time ye lucky bollix!

Good news from me is that I got a pay rise last friday...if you don't ask you don't get

!

SidelineKick · May 13, 2009, 02:44:19 PM

My wages were in my account this morn as opposed to Friday. Last week it was Thursday. I'm hoping if it continues at this rate I'll soon be getting paid for 6 months work in the space of a couple of weeks!

the colonel · May 13, 2009, 03:18:04 PM

violence in glasgow was down 25% after the old firm at the weekend

(domestic violence was up 20% though)

Gabriel_Hurl · May 13, 2009, 04:09:09 PM

I had a great time at the Skydome watching the Blue Jays smash the Evil Empire (New York Yankees) for the 1st time this season.

I'm also going to the Toronto FC - Montreal derby match in the Canadian Club Championship tonight.

And it's a bank holiday this weekend

Gnevin · May 13, 2009, 04:14:04 PM

Tom Humphries hasn't written anything since the 10th