Thousands of miles from his birthplace, Raowa is now home to Nick Hines, and teachers share stories of life-saving heart transplants to encourage organ donation in Ireland.
Cronusley resident Nick Hines conveyed emotional charm in Dublin at the launch of Organ Donor Awareness Week 2025It will run from May 10th to May 17th.
Nick, originally from the US, lives with his wife Tracy and 14-year-old daughter Molly. Working as a secondary school teacher, Hines moved from Minnesota to Ireland in 2000 to meet Tracy in his first education arrangement.
“Time is interesting, 22 years seems like a lot in some respects, but when you say your time is over, it's
Flash,” Hines said.
“Growing up in Minnesota, I was always active, playing winter skating and ice hockey, swimming and playing baseball and basketball in the summer. The photo below.
At the release of 2025 Organ Donor Awareness Week, Nick Hines, a heart transplant recipient in Clonusley, Colorado, along with her daughter, Molly (14). Photo: Photo of Conor McCabe.
“In February 2020, I suffered a mild stroke and took me to the hospital, where many tests discovered heart failure,” he said.
“I was treated with medication and put on a defibrillator as a backstop. Within a year of getting my ICD, I got out of my chair at the dinner table on a Sunday afternoon in front of my wife and daughter.
“The problem is, my heart failure was asymptomatic and its function was inwardly declining, but me and the world worked. My other systems compensated for my heart low power and adapted to low power.
The teacher explained that he lived for the next three years, with the knowledge that he could pull a “rug” with a momentary notification. The photo below.
Photo: Nick Hines. Photography by Conor McCabe Photography.
“Each night, you will evaluate your day in detail, taking into account the meaning of not waking up about sleep. You will tell them you have a bad day, have an argument, do something, or tell someone that you may be afraid to settle on you when you try to sleep. Then you will wake up and the scramble will start making it a good thing.
“Thoughts of the future and thoughts for next month will disappear. The relationship with time will completely change. Inspirational phrases – when your end is your reality, you live each day at the expense of every aspect of your last life,” he said.
Three years after a stroke, in September 2023, Hines had put out a bottle in front of school.
“As one doctor said, I've been off the cliff.” I remember thinking this was that. That morning, when I decided that I would no longer be able to live with my native heart, a transplant was my only hope.
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“I was referred to my mother and called a week later for an assessment and they determined I was ready for a work-up to check eligibility for mental receipt.”
Laois' teacher shared that he tested him for eligibility, but more issues and issues were revealed.
“The plans are listed and they are called when they return to work and life and the right donor comes,” he said.
“I was eligible, so I began to consider going home with my loved ones before I died.”
However, Hines' doctors planned and implemented strategies that would positively address his mind so he could be on the list and stay on the list, and the plan worked.
“I stayed in CCU matter with the best care until the offer came. It was awakened to the coordinator and told me there was a donor, so the surgeon arrived later and asked, do you know what's going on?
What does this mean for me and my family,” Hines explained.
Photo: Emotional Mr. Hines receives a standing ovation for his amazing speech
“I've now been a year since I was transplanted. I'm not only alive, I'm alive.
“The thoughts of time and tomorrow and the wonders of how my children will continue in this world are emotions that I can think of now. Concerns, joy and hope are things that I can share in a real way now,” he said.
Clonaslee men claim that this new life lease is thanks to the dedication of over 300 professionals.
“I tried to calculate the amount of contributors. Beyond nurses, caregivers, dietitians, cleaners, psychologists, doctors, surgeons, physicists, secretaries, coordinators and more than 300 experts, memories of the transplant process surpass those I had my memories and devotion,” he said.
“But without the selflessness of one person, that means nothing: my donor and his family.
“Now, when I have a bad day, I would like to thank my donors and my family that I have time to heal it.
Currently, over 600 people have adopted a waiting list for transplants for organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas, with over 500 of them waiting for a kidney transplant alone, making the need for a nationwide conversation about organ donation more urgent than ever.
The Irish Kidney Association (IKA) organising with support from the office of HSE organ donation transplantation Ireland (ODTI) is aiming for Orgain Donation Week.
IKA outlines how to support organ donation as follows:
- Don't doubt your loved one. Talk to them. Share your wishes about organ donation. Say, share, save your life.
- Request an organ donor card from the Irish Kidney Association website www.ika.ie/donorweek/
- Check the box for organ donation when applying or renewing a driver's license, represented by code 115
- Follow the activities of Irish Kidney Association on social media, show your support and share your messaging on your own network: x @irishkidney instagram @irishkidney, facebook @irishkidneyassociation, linkedin
IrishKidneyAssociation Social Media Hashtags: #leavenodoobt #shareyourwishes #donorweek25
