How having a child with Down syndrome changed the rocker's life

Northern Irish rock musician Cormac Neeson says that having a child with Down syndrome changed his life in a "joyful and positive" way.

In 2014 Neeson lived, in many ways, the dream of rock 'n' roll. His band, The Answer, had sold hundreds of thousands of records and traveled the world with the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Who and AC / DC.

But the singer's world was shaken all the way when his wife, Louise, gave birth to a very premature baby in just 27 weeks.

"It was an incredibly dark and troubled time," says Neeson.

Their son, Dabhog, was born with a weight of 0,8 kg and underwent intensive care. He remained in the hospital in Belfast for the next four months.

"For much of that time we weren't sure on a daily basis if he would make it," adds Neeson.

Two weeks later, they faced the news that Dabhog had Down syndrome, a genetic condition that typically affects a person's learning ability.

"It was something else that just enriched the very intense experience."

Dabhog underwent cardiac surgery at the age of 1 year
Around that time, The Answer released an album.

“I should get out of the incubator for 20 or 30 minutes and do interviews to promote the album.

“I practically had to pretend I was in a place where I felt comfortable publishing rock'n'roll music for fun. It was a complete collision course with my head, ”says Neeson.

Dabhog survived and was discharged from the hospital, although he had to undergo surgery at the age of one to repair a hole in his heart.

The experiences had a profound effect on Neeson's vision of life and his music.

"Every time the dust settled and Dabhog was at home and his health started to change and life calmed down a bit I realized that creatively I was not in a place where I could really write the kind of music we had spent in last 10 years writing, "he says.

He went to Nashville where he worked with American songwriters and musicians to put together a new album. “The result was really a collection of songs that was so introspective, intense and so sincere that they could only really be part of a solo project.

"It's a world away from the things I had spent my career inventing up to that point."

The title of Neeson's solo album, White Feather, comes from an event during his wife's pregnancy
One of the songs, Broken Wing, is a tribute to Dabhog.

"It's a good opportunity to talk about Down syndrome and normalize Down syndrome, but also to celebrate my son for being the individual he is," says Neeson.

He says he wants to get over the song that raising a child with learning difficulties has a unique set of challenges, but "it's unique in a really great and powerful way."

Neeson says he also wrote the song to help new parents of children with Down syndrome.

“I was getting back to the hospital every time we were told that Dabhog had Down syndrome and I thought that if I had heard this song then I could have comforted it.

"If your kid has Down syndrome that's not what defines your kid. Your child is as unique and extraordinary as any other child. I have never met a person like my son, Dabhog.

"The joy it brings into our life is something I couldn't have foreseen when we were only worried about his health every day and to bring him out of that hospital alive."

Neeson has chromosome 21 tattooed on his arm. The most common form of Down syndrome is trisomy 21, when there are three copies of that chromosome instead of two
The album title, White Feather, is a reference to an incident in Louise's early pregnancy with Dabhog.

At about three weeks it was said that it was an ectopic pregnancy, when a fertilized egg was implanted outside the uterus, often in a fallopian tube. The egg cannot therefore develop in a child and pregnancy must be terminated due to the risk to the health of the mother.

After taking Louise into surgery, the doctors realized it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy, but said they would have to wait another two weeks before being able to scan a heart beat and confirm if the baby was still alive. .

The night before the scan, Neeson took a walk alone in the hills near his hometown of Newcastle in County Down.

“Much research has continued on the soul. I said aloud: "I need a sign". At that point I was stopped dead in my tracks. "

He had spotted a white feather in the trees. "In Ireland, a white feather represents life," says Neeson.

The next day the scan revealed a "gigantic" heart beat.

Neeson's band The Answer has released six studio albums
Dabhog is now five years old and in September he started school, where Neeson says he made friends and won certificates to be a student of the week.

"Just to be able to experience our baby thrive in that way and be so communicative and be a life-affirming character and bring him so much joy in our lives, it's a hugely positive experience for us and we are grateful for that, ”says Neeson.

Dabhog now has a younger brother and Neeson has become an ambassador for the Mencap learning disability charity in Northern Ireland. Dabhog attended a Mencap center in Belfast for specialist learning and support for early interventions.

"Before my wife became pregnant with Dabhog, I suppose my only goal in life was essentially myself and I think it becomes much less selfish when you have a child," he says.

Looking back on 2014, he adds: “There are times in your life when you don't know how to overcome these obstacles, but you do it.

"Every time you go out the other side there is a real sense of victory and that's where we are now."