THERE are so many people I admire that asking me to pick my hero is like asking me to choose my favourite child. I have lots of children, and each one is my favourite. I admire people who have shared their skills and brought a generous humanity and breathtaking creativity to situations. What distinguishes Dr Philip Boyle from the other people I think highly of is that he uses his skills, humanity and creativity to bring something really special to people . . . joy.

Dr Boyle, a gynaecologist and Natural Procreative Technology (NAPRO) practitioner, helps couples struggling with infertility to have a baby. Imagine the joy of a couple who have had six miscarriages when they finally hold their healthy newborn. And then finding that, because their infertility has been cured and not just circumvented, they can have a second and a third healthy baby without help.

In my work, I try to meet the needs of the people who come through my Munster constituency office or through the Hope Project, the disability group I founded 11 years ago. I can share knowledge with people, accompany them through a maze of bureaucracy, campaign at their side, speak up for them, and offer my support and under-standing. I love to serve, but in comparison to Philip, what I do is pedantic.

To bring people the kind of joy that he brings is well beyond me.

I felt blessed and happy with the birth of each of my nine children, but I had them easily. I can only imagine the extra joy when a man and woman who thought they would never have children hold their child for the first time. I love babies, and as a first time grandmother of four months, I am even more baby-conscious than usual.

Over the summer, I am visiting towns in Munster gathering signatures for the '1million4disability' citizens' petition. One of the best things about gathering signatures is meeting the moms and dads with their children. Children are so brilliant. When they know it is for someone with a disability, they want to sign too. A girl with Down's Syndrome was really eager to sign when her father explained that the petition was for children who couldn't walk like she could.

What I like about Philip Boyle is the way he brings joy is so attractive. He works not only towards health but also empowerment, cooperation and respect. I have always been focused on health, and as an MEP, I devote a lot of time to health issues. Meeting the challenge of disability or disease is really important, but we must also aim for recovery and the restoration of health and better still, prevention. This is why Philip Boyle is a man after my own heart. His work is focused on finding the underlying medical problem and treating it while restoring health. He says that in reality he doesn't cause the conception of the baby . . . he helps to clear the obstacles so that the couple can conceive themselves.

The average couple walking through Philip's door for the first time are 36 years old with a history of five years of infertility.

Half of those who persist will have a baby, although the rate of success drops to about 30% if the woman has undergone IVF, because of the hormonal bombardment and scarring that can happen during the egg collection. Philip is not content with the restoration of health, but is increasingly focused on prevention. There are many known risk factors for infertility, miscarriage and premature delivery, and these include hypothyroidism, smoking, excessive alcohol, weight issues, older maternal age or a previous history of miscarriage, hormone treatment, STDs or abortion. Dr Boyle believes in early intervention, and he encourages couples who have a risk factor to come for fertility assessment, and if necessary, treatment, before they try to start a family.

Growing up in a large family, I learned that a more effective way to help is to empower people to help themselves and others. Philip doesn't come into a couple's life, take control and work magic. While he provides the medical intervention, he also works with the couple over a period of time to reach the diagnosis and develop a strategy to help them become pregnant.

The woman who first told me about Dr Boyle said that by the time she had the baby she thought she would never have, she also had a relationship with her husband that she thought she would never have.

Philip loves his work. He delights in babies, and is tangibly awed by the miracle of life. One couple told me that they wonder if it was Dr Boyle's confidence as much as the surgery, supplements, lifestyle changes and charting that gave them their precious daughter. They came to the Galway Clinic jaded from a litany of failed procedures, and left with renewed enthusiasm.

Philip is organising a 10th anniversary party soon, and is inviting the 750 babies he has helped into the world. He is also expecting far more children than that to attend because now that their mom and dad's infertility is a thing of the past, there will be lots of little brothers and sisters tagging along. I would love to be a fly on the wall at that party.

As I do not qualify for an invitation, I will instead look forward to my next conversation with Philip Boyle. I know I will come away with the next best thing . . . hope.

And that will do me just fine.