Brothers Sean and Seams Fitzpatrick share the bond between Mount Temple, Westmeath temple, Coco.
Cean Fitzpatrick was only nine years old when he got sick, but after a car accident, doctors discovered that his kidneys were failing.
Seven years later, Cean was told he needed a transplant, and after examination, his brother, Seams, stepped up and donated his kidneys to his brother.
“There's no life without him,” Cean said.
“It was rare at the time and some of them weren't done before me, so it was all very new,” he explained.
“Seven days later, mine kicked up a bit and there were signs that my kidneys weren't doing what they had to do, but it all turned around and within a few days it was fully functional.”
“I never had a night in the hospital again with my kidneys since I left the hospital at the time. It's been over 50 years now, and all I have to do now is go for a medical checkup,” he explained.
“A simple decision”
For Saems, donating kidneys when the transplant was still in its early stages in Ireland was a big step, but he never thought of it again.
Kidney transplants were performed in 1975.
The first such procedure was carried out only in Ireland in 1964, but the process was not easy at the time.
“It was an easy decision. It was that after I knew something could be done for him.
The surgery was the seventh successful kidney transplant in Ireland, and was first performed without prior use of a dialysis machine.
“I was in pretty healthy for the surgery. It was held on March 23, 1975 at Jarvis Street Hospital in Dublin, and I have not looked back since,” Sean said.
Seams left the hospital a week later and said he has been living a normal life ever since.
Fifty years after the life-saving business, both brothers are healthy and happy.
They are both married, and Sean, 74, has two children, while Seams, 72, has four.
“We've had a very good life. We did what we wanted to do, went on the holidays and had some drinks. If we were on dialysis, we wouldn't be,” Cean said.
“The transplant gave me the freedom to do what I wanted to do,” he added.
“I don't have a life without Saems. Dialysis is just a hard-working solution and I was very fortunate that my transplant had such a success.”
Inspiration for local transplant recipients
The brothers, avid golfers at Mount Temple Golf Club, have inspired young local transplant recipients.
Claire Dolan, who runs the Co Co Westmeath Golf Club, was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in September 2012.
She began dialysis in January 2013 and later received a kidney transplant.
“I was very fortunate to have my transplant in May 2014. I got it within a year and a half. It was really, really fast, so I was so grateful to have the phone called,” she said.
Claire said the transplant changed her life.
“It's a huge difference, from being really, really sick on a machine seven days a week to taking a few tablets every day.”
“I had a transplant when I was 20 and later moved to Canada, where I lived there for seven years, then moved home two years ago, married and settled here,” she said.
Fitzpatrick's brother was inspiration when she was sick and waiting for a transplant.
“I saw Sean and Seams, who grew up here every week in Mount Temple, so when I was diagnosed, I had to look at them and talk to them.
Claire, like many organ recipients, encourages others to think about organ donation.
“You know people are on the list, they have a life that they can't live because they are waiting, so I really encourage them to talk to their friends and family and let them know their wishes regarding organ donation.”
263 organ transplants in 2024
The numbers show that there were 263 organ transplants in Ireland last year.
HSE's Department of Organ Donation Transplantation Ireland said 84 people were from the deceased donors and 30 were from the living organ donors and their families.
Surgeries performed in 2024 at three national centres included 175 kidney transplants, 40 liver transplants, 13 lung transplants, 9 heart transplants, and four pancreatic transplants.
Some organs were not playing a proper match in Ireland, ODTI said, 22 had been implanted overseas.
With around 600 people on the organ donation waiting list, donors are constantly needed.
“Everyone has a donor card and one day they can take someone else out of trouble so they need to sign it,” said Sean Fitzpatrick.
Organ Donor Awareness Week 2025 will be held from May 10th to 17th.
Organized by the Irish Kidney Association with support from the HSE's Office of Organ Donation Transplantation, the campaign highlights the life-changing impact of organ donation for transplantation.
The “Soft Opt-Out System” will be implemented next month
Meanwhile, Health Minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill said the “soft opt-out system” of organ donation consent will come into effect from June 17th.
Under this change, it is presumed that if a person dies, they will want to donate their organs after death, unless they oppose the donation.
In a statement, Carol McNeill said it was “a critical moment for Ireland's healthcare.”
She said the purpose of the change was to increase the donor pool by “standard” organ donations.
