'Life was leaving me': Former UCC student describes life before transplant

Wed, 17 May, 2023 - 02:00

Niamh Griffin, Health Correspondent

A five-year-old boy, a music festival promoter, and the heartbroken but proud mother of an organ donor were among those helping to launch Organ Donor Awareness Week.

The event, organised by the Irish Kidney Association in association with the HSE’s Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland, heard that organ donation gives life.

Kate Twohig, 31, from Clonmel, describes her liver transplant last October as “life-saving” when chronic health conditions deteriorated.

“The rug was pulled from under my feet,” said Kate. “I was in denial and doing anything I could to prove them wrong, doing a total health kick.”

Formerly a music student at UCC, she instead set up a festival When Next We Meet with her now-husband, as “you’re facing your own mortality”.

“We weren’t just sitting around waiting for the [transplant list] phone to start to ring. But late last summer, the only way I can describe it is that life was leaving me. I was really starting to feel that it was getting harder to keep going every day.”

She saw Tuesday’s event as a chance for reflection and plans to contact her donor’s family soon.

Liver transplant recipient Kate Twohig, from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, at the launch of Organ Donor Awareness Week. Picture: Andres Poveda

Five-year-old twins Liam and Daniel O’Connor were unable to share a bedroom until recently as Liam slept in a hospital bed, even at home.

Diagnosed with kidney problems at just one week old, he was too young then for dialysis, said his mother Denise.

“He was very sick, we were in hospital constantly, in Temple Street,” said Denise. “When I heard his kidneys weren’t working I just thought ‘he’s gone, we’ve lost him’ because I didn’t know anything about dialysis or transplants.”

She says he attended about five months of creche. “He was just so tired, he was just flat, no energy.”

This changed in April last year, with the transplant impact immediate.

“He was climbing on the chair to try and get to the machines, to play with the buttons; it was the first time I’d seen him climb because he never had the energy. I thought, ‘oh, this is him now, this is the boy he’s supposed to be’.”

Watching the twins play in the Mansion House garden with sister Caoilinn, their father Patrick said: “Liam is a prime example of what a donor can give you, a new life, and that’s what Liam has. We are very grateful.”

Bereaved mother Naomi Dunleavy lovingly described her son Aaron Cantwell, 20, who died after a road accident last year.

“Letting Aaron go was the most difficult decision my family have ever had to make,” said Naomi. “Honouring his wishes to donate his organs wasn’t.

“We couldn’t bear the thought of Aaron’s life coming to such a sudden and out-of-order end.

"So we honoured Aaron’s promise and gifted his life-giving organs. In return, his recipients have gifted us hope.”

Naomi Dunleavy, the mother of deceased organ donor Aaron Cantwell from Navan, Co Meath, speaking at the launch of Organ Donor Awareness Week. Picture: Andres Poveda

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said legislation which will include a soft opt-out system of consent for organ donation is near completion.

“It is my intention to have the Human Tissue Bill at committee stage within the next four to five weeks,” said Mr Donnelly.

He welcomed a record of 81 transplants performed between January and March.

Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland clinical lead Catherine Motherway said: “It does really give hope to donor families, and as an intensive care doctor in a donor hospital as I used to be, I offered donation almost more for the donor’s families as for the recipient even though that is the ultimate aim.”