An Irish family shares their experience of organ transplantation, with six members of the family having received kidney transplants over the years.
Four years ago Emma O'Connor gave the gift of life to her sister Louise Cowman when she donated a kidney to the mother of twins, who said the kidney transplant was “like winning the lottery”.
Their father, Joe Fitzpatrick, was a kidney transplant recipient, as were an uncle, an aunt and two cousins.
An Irish family is sharing their kidney transplant experiences in support of Organ Donation Awareness Week, which runs from 27 March to 3 April.
The family has polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a rare genetic kidney disease that causes kidney function to deteriorate over time. The family say they are “grateful” for the opportunity that a kidney transplant has given them.
Emma O'Connor, a hairdresser from Dundalk, donated a kidney to her sister Louise in Belfast in 2016, just a week after her cousin in Sweden received a kidney from a deceased donor, while her sister's father, Joe Fitzpatrick, who lives in Dublin, received a kidney transplant at Beaumont Hospital nine years ago.
The family says the disease has been around for generations and they are fortunate with the advances in medicine today.
“My great-grandmother, Bridie Reinhart, buried eight children who she suspected had the same disease as us, PKD,” said Cowman, who had a kidney transplant.
“Previous generations were not so lucky and the disease was either undiagnosed or unknown. Dialysis as a treatment method only became available about half a century ago.”
Her sister, Emma O'Connor, was fortunate enough not to have been born with the genetic kidney disease (PKD) and after seeing her sister suffering over Christmas, decided to donate her kidney.
Mr O'Connor, who works at Peter Mark Hospital in Dundalk, and has two children of his own, now aged 14 and 17, said: “The decision to donate my kidney to Louise was a very easy one.”
“She had young twins with their whole lives ahead of them and they needed a strong, healthy mother.
“It was on St Stephen's Day in 2014 that I decided I wanted to donate a kidney to Louise.
“On Christmas Day, Louise had been looking much sicker and had just been told that her kidney function had deteriorated so much that she needed to start dialysis.”
O'Connor said both sisters remembered how much their father benefited from a kidney transplant, and “we knew it would make a huge difference to her quality of life.”
After Christmas 2014, Ms O'Connor underwent organ donation testing and it was discovered the pair were a “perfect match”.
“I am so grateful to Emma for giving me another chance to live a fulfilling life,” said Cowman, her older sister who received an organ transplant. “My children also remember the times when I was sick and not feeling well, and they are so grateful to me.”
“My twins, Andrew and Aoife, turned 12 during Organ Donation Awareness Week and were only five when I was put on the waiting list. Our whole family feel so lucky that organ donation and transplantation has given so many people a second chance.”
Ms Cowman said receiving her kidney “has completely changed everything. I went from raising young children and being terribly ill to now feeling as good as if I'd never been ill. I've been able to go back to work and start coaching my daughter's GAA team.”
“The transplant has made a huge difference in my life and it's all because of Emma and I'm so grateful to her.”
Organ Donation Awareness Week 2021 is being organised by the Irish Kidney Association, which has noted a decline in the number of transplants in 2020.
Speaking at the national launch of Organ Donation Awareness Week last week, Colin McKenzie, national honorary chairman of the Irish Kidney Association, said: “Unfortunately, COVID-19 has had a profound and unwanted impact on the transplant community, which continues to have an impact today.
“Many people working in dialysis and transplants have died from COVID-19 and I would like to express my deepest condolences to their families,” he said.
