Transplant recipients back donor campaign

NORTHSIDERS who have benefited from transplants are backing the Irish Kidney Association’s Organ Donor Awareness Week, taking place from April 1-8.

The key focus of the campaign is to remind the public to have an important family discussion about their wishes concerning organ donation when they pass away.

Last year 280 organs transplants were carried out in Ireland. 230 were as a result of the generosity of the families of 77 deceased donors and the remaining 50 were from living kidney donors.

A further nine specialist kidney transplants were performed on Irish HSE patients in the UK, which included seven extra living donors who travelled, with the recipients, to the UK for the operations.

Ron Grainger from Castleknock is one of the Northsiders supporting Organ Donor Awareness Week. Ron is an urologist who has treated kidney patients and he himself underwent a kidney transplant.

He has since represented Ireland as part of Transplant Team Ireland at World and European Transplant Games events and has been chosen as a global ambassador for the Fit for Life programme, which aims to encourage transplant recipients to maintain a healthy and active life.

Ron was one of 12 ambassadors selected to be honoured at the historic Ireland rugby victory over the All Blacks in Chicago on November 5, last.

He competed at the past two European and World transplant games events and earned the reputation as ‘The Flying Doctor’ for his success there.

One member of his winning golf team was actually a patient of his, James Nolan, the multi international award winning butcher from Kilcullen.

Also supporting this week’s campaign is Johnathan Aherne (33) from Blanchardstown. Johnathan is grateful for the successful kidney transplant he received over 12 years ago, which has allowed him to lead a full life.

He and his partner, Allissa Larkin, have since become parents to two children Alex (6) and Molly (3). Prior to his transplant he was undergoing haemodialysis treatment at the Mater Hospital for two years.

Unfortunately Johnathan’s kidney function is declining and he will be returning to a form of home dialysis in the next month.

Some of his family are putting themselves forward for screening at Beaumont Hospital for a living donation.

Jonathan trains and manages the Under 8s Tyrellstown GAA team and is involved in various associations including his local residents’ association and Neighbourhood Watch.

Originally from Phibsboro, Niall Sheridan is the husband of a deceased donor and is also lending his support to the campaign.

Now living in Virginia, Co Cavan, Niall has many strings to his bow. The qualified nurse and medic spent many years living in Canada’s Yukon territory where he was a community’s coroner.

He also worked in the UK before returning to Ireland where he settled down with his wife Collette.  Sadly Collette took a sudden bad turn in November 2015 and Niall was present but sadly despite the swift measures that he and his paramedic colleagues took to try and revive her, she never regained consciousness.

Niall takes consolation in the legacy of Collette’s organ donation as her liver, two kidneys and heart valves benefited the lives of theres.

Organ Donor Awareness Week also serves as a fundraising exercise for the Irish Kidney Association and all this week volunteers will be out on the streets and in shopping centres selling ‘forget-me-not-flower’ emblems, brooches, pens and shopping trolley discs.

All proceeds will go towards aid for patients on dialysis and those patients fortunate enough to have received a transplant.

Organ Donor Cards can also be obtained by phoning the Irish Kidney Association on 1890-543639, texting the word DONOR to 50050 or visit www.ika.ie for more information.