by PAT TARANTINO
After nearly a year-and-a-half spent in hospitals, operating rooms, and recovery units, a Dublin family’s lengthy struggle to secure a healthy future for their ailing daughter may finally come to a happy end here in Boston.

Fourteen-month-old Elie Madden was born weighing less than four pounds and suffering from esophageal atresia – a rare disorder in which her esophagus is too short to reach her stomach – and has spent much of her young life dependent on machinery to keep her fed and breathing.
But thanks to a tireless fundraising campaign by parents Eddie and Esti and an outpouring of support in Ireland, Elie is now at Boston’s Children’s Hospital where she is receiving treatment that could give her a chance at a normal, healthy childhood.
Etsi, Elie, and her twin sister Emie flew to Boston in November after learning that Children’s Hospital doctors John Foker and Russell Jennings had developed a procedure tailor-made to help small children with their daughter’s condition. The family was joined by dad Eddie just in time for Christmas, marking the second year in a row the family has spent the holiday in a hospital room.
Since their arrival, Elie has undergone four operations to gradually lengthen her esophagus using a series of sutures. One Monday morning last month, she awoke from a month-long induced coma. While the family says Elie is in good spirits, they are still unsure how long they may have to stay in Boston while doctors work to repair the girl’s voice box and prevent future heart complications associated with her low birth weight.
For more information or to donate, visit eliemadden.com. For updates on Elie’s condition, visit their Facebook page “Operation Elie”