BY MARK McKELVEY

The good news about baby Katie's miraculous progress in Chicago keeps flooding back to Omagh in the weekly reports from her father Gary McCann.

Katie started her intense physiotherapy on Monday at the pathways centre where Billy Caldwell has been receiving rehabilitation treatments since January. This was followed on Tuesday with speech and language therapy as the medical team tries to teach Katie how to swallow independently following five months of having an NG tube permanently inserted down her throat which has caused extensive internal damage.

Gary explained her progress, "She is doing so well since Dr Nordli corrected her medication. She was on the wrong seizure drugs so he has started to take her of that and in only a couple of weeks is starting to become more alert and her wee eyes are able to focus.

"When we set her down now she starts squealing to be lifted and then stops as soon as we pick her up so she knows what she wants now and is able to express it as before with all the medication wouldn't have done that.

"At Billy's birthday party, Katie was in the pool and absolutely loved it, splashing and smiling away. As she has not been using her legs at all to move about or crawl, the physiotherapists think this is a great way of getting her muscles working and strengthen her legs by kicking in the water."

With all these major developments in Katie's learning development the most welcome news is that in only a matter of weeks since arriving in Chicago she has gone from having seizures 24 hours a day, to not have one in the last two weeks. Katie is also sleeping through the night for the first time since she was born on September 1 last year.

"Her progress is unreal," said Gary. "This is the third night in a row that she will have slept right through the night. I can't explain the feeling of that for me and Mekila."

Despite this the fear is still there as Gary and Mekila continue to take turns observing Katie throughout the night in case she has a seizure or chokes in her sleep.

Speaking to the UH during one of these early morning vigils by Katie's bedside, Gary conveyed the consternation that remains about Katie's health, stating, "The fear is always there."

Gary continued by expressing that all the advice they received from doctors in Northern Ireland contradicts opinion in America that has resulted in Katie's dramatic improvements.

"Back home we were always told not to put anything into her mouth, but over here we are told to use her mouth as much as possible to get the muscles working again. Everything we were told at home was wrong and detrimental to Katie's progress and well-being.

"The tube that has been in her mouth for the past five months should only ever be used as a short-term temporary measure. The longer we were keeping it in the more damage it was causing.

"The difference between here and at home is night and day. In Chicago they want to bring children to their full potential so leave no stone unturned to do that. Assessments we were told we had to wait till she was two or three for, we are now told that is too late and she needs to be assessed as early as possible in order to get the problem fixed."

Meanwhile, back at home the fundraising continues for the Keep Baby Katie Awake fund which currently stands at just over £100,000, but is still well short of the target needed if Katie is a candidate for surgery.

Gary's mother in Omagh, Bernadette McCann would like to thank all the shops in the town the that donated to raffles for Katy. She also thanked those involved with a Dunnes Stores bag pack that raised £888,50 on July 19.

The Modern Tyre Service where Gary used to work for many years is also organising a charity fun run on August 10. Contact them for further details.

For information on how to contribute and help her fight for life, visit www.keepbabykatieawake.com