Young Archie Murphy Wall will need kidney donations over the next few years.
Overcoming meningitis and sepsis, the 9 month old baby in the bag that removed one of the kidneys, has become one of the faces of organ donation in 2025.
Baby Archie was born five weeks earlier and was born just 5 pounds and 10 oz to Shanice Murphy of Co Kildare and Shanice Murphy of Cormac Wall of Cavan Town. Archie's grandparents are the wall of Miranda and Mick's “bricker” that ran in Sinn Féin's final local elections.
Archie spent a week at Cavan General Hospital's Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), but things got worse as the infant constantly cryed and vomited after all the feed.
“Even my new mom knew something was wrong,” Shanis recalls.
Cormac and Shanice took Archie to A&E several times at Cavan General Hospital, diagnosed with congenital renal syndrome, and then spent seven months at Chi Temple Street Hospital.
Little Archie removed one of the kidneys on the last day of World Kidneys on March 13th and was discharged from the hospital on the same weekend as Shanis' birthday and Mother's Day.
Today he is a busy boy with a smile, gaining weight and meeting the same milestones as many babies of his age.
Doctors initially expected both kidneys to be removed before his first birthday, but they are now enduring second, hoping that Archie can avoid dialysis until he is about two years old. However, transplants are required between the ages of 5 and 6 when they reach a certain weight and height.
Shanis is a young mother whose family is on a rigorous learning journey, and she wants to share some of her learning with others during this organ donor awareness week, which is now running until May 17th.
When Archie was very sick in the first few weeks, it was only when he was lying on the skin on either his mum or dad's breasts that he stopped crying.
“I think infants like Archie, who have kidney problems, are unable to regulate their temperature and have gotten much needed fever from us,” recalls Shanis.
“Archie's grandparents may be perfect for the kidneys, but doctors say they need donations from people under the age of 30, as they will be implanted into younger patients who will need it for the rest of their lives,” explains Shanis, 24.
“CORMAC will be in your 30s by the time Archie is at the right age for transplant, but there is no point being tested on any of us at this stage anyway. This is being tested at this stage because antibodies and all antibodies can change between the age of five, not the donor's blood type or family genes.
“When I was on Temple Street, I suddenly realized that I wasn't a donor,” she told Celt. “Of course, I see why it's so important, I want to encourage people to get on the register.
“Please don't forget that my message to everyone can save someone else's life.”
Shanice also wanted to use her voice to advise all mothers to “trust your own instincts.”
“I want women to trust you as a young mother like me, a mother with premature babies, a mother of five, someone with a baby through a caesarean section or a normal birth, a mother's instinct and that it will make your baby healthy and happy.
“In the beginning, I didn't want to go back to General Cavan when Archie had severe diarrhea and was vomiting through his nose, but when I saw a lump in my stomach after five weeks of crying and weight loss, I am very happy that I was in A&E at Cavan General Hospital and claiming that there was a serious problem with my child and that my concerns were taken seriously.”
Now, Shanis and Cormack hope that their son will remain healthy to develop milestones, including attending nursery and school until the time for transplants, and meet.
“We are trying to live a normal life with a very sick baby,” says Shanis.
The Organ Donor Awareness Week 2025 (May 10-17) campaign highlights a powerful national convened that “there is no room for doubting your loved one.”
With support from the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) from the office of HSE's Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI), the campaign highlights the life-changing impact of organ donation on transplants and the role families play in ensuring your wishes.
