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Irish Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Transplant patient's plan for mortgage, marathon, marriage and Master's after op
A woman who has had two kidney transplants after a lifetime of ill-health is now set for this weekend's mini marathon in Dublin. Jessie Doyle, 29, is not only in training for the big run on Sunday – she has also bought a house, is planning her marriage and finishing her university Master's degree. Jessie has revealed her mortgage, marathon, marriage and Master's schedule to highlight the crucial work of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA). She said: 'It's a full-circle moment. For so long, I couldn't plan for the future. Now I'm doing it all at once by running, graduating and getting married. I spent years being sick, staring out the hospital window, wishing I could just be outside walking. Now, I have that freedom, and I want to use it.' This June Bank Holiday Weekend, Jessie, who is from Westmeath but now lives in Santry, Co Dublin, takes on the Vhi Women's Mini Marathon for the very first time. A spokesperson for the IKA said Jessie's story is a 'powerful symbol of resilience and gratitude' that was made 'possible by her donors' and two kidney transplants. Despite years of illness and fatigue and unexplained symptoms, it was not until Jessie was 17 years old that she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. The Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore in Offaly confirmed the chronic kidney disease and revealed that her kidney function had dropped to 30 per cent. The next 12 years were filled with illness, dialysis treatment, her first kidney transplant at age 20 in 2016 and her second at age 27 in 2023. Jessie said: 'In school, I was often seen as an anxious child who was always unwell. It wasn't until I went to the doctor with abdominal pain that they discovered high protein levels in my urine which pointed towards kidney problems. I was still in school, doing my Leaving Cert. It was a really tough time. It was very isolating. I missed months of school, couldn't go out with friends, and often felt like nobody understood what I was going through. 'For my 18th birthday celebration, I had one drink and went home to bed as I was feeling exhausted. I started dialysis after completing my Leaving Cert and by then my kidney function had fallen to 12 per cent.' Hospital dialysis meant Jessie delayed university and registered to go on the kidney transplant waiting list. After her first transplant, Jessie said it took 'three weeks for the donor kidney to begin working properly and I gradually began to feel energised'. She added: 'I felt like a different person.' After putting her life on hold for dialysis, Jessie was finally able to go to university to study Multimedia at Dublin City University (DCU). She also completed a Master's degree in Climate Change, Policy and Media – but her kidney function began to deteriorate in 2021. Jessie said: 'It was devastating to be back on dialysis. My renal consultant told me I could be waiting for up to four years for another transplant. 'It was a huge blow. I had only been on dialysis for four weeks. Then, that same evening, I received the call, there was a perfect match for me. I couldn't believe it, that my wait on the transplant list was so short.' Jessie's second transplant was successful. Unlike the first, the kidney began functioning immediately and she was discharged from hospital in just five days. She is now planning her future with her fiancé Aaron Hoey and the couple have just bought a house and are preparing for their wedding on September 6. A few weeks later, Jessie will graduate with her second Master's degree, this one in Visual Communications from TU Dublin. A spokesperson for the IKA said: 'Taking part in the VHI Mini Marathon is a powerful symbol of everything Jessie has fought to overcome. With her health restored, she is not only stepping up to the start line in Dublin city centre, she's also planning for two big events this September - her wedding in Kilkenny and to graduate with her second Master's from college.' There are over 2,500 people in Ireland receiving dialysis treatment and over 500 of them are on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. More information on the Irish Kidney Association is available on its website. Jessie told potential donors: 'You don't just give someone an organ, you give them their life back. I wouldn't be here without my donors. It's the most selfless act imaginable. I remain eternally grateful to my donors' families.'
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Wicklow mum saved by transplant says new organ donation law ‘doesn't force it on people'
Leeann Clarkson, from Kilcoole, also spoke about how she would feel having a conversation about organ donation with her daughter, who is now 11, and why her son has already got an organ donor card. Leeann was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome when she was 19, which doctors believe was caused by a throat infection, despite having had her tonsils removed when she was 13. At the time, she was going through a high-risk pregnancy with her first child, having developed pre-eclampsia. Her son, Nathan, was delivered at 30 weeks by emergency C-section, weighing just 2lbs 13oz. After giving birth to her son, Leeann became very sick and had to be put on dialysis. Rather than facing daily trips to the hospital, the single mum chose to do peritoneal dialysis at home. The dialysis was a nightly occurrence, an eight-hour ordeal that left her exhausted and ill. The good news arrived later that year, when a phone call came in (at 1.25am – the time has been stamped on her memory) that a kidney donor had been found. She counted herself lucky. She was only six weeks on dialysis, and she was told at the start she could be waiting two to four years. The transformation was 'a new lease of life', and she only realised how sick she was after she had been given the gift of a new kidney. She soon met a new partner and in 2013 gave birth to her daughter, Abbie. She describes the moment she was told a donor had been found as 'bittersweet' – as she knows that 'someone had lost their life in order for me to receive this kidney'. So when asked whether she supports the new law, she admits that while she does, 'it's because I have a donor kidney'. According to the Irish Kidney Association, there are over 600 people currently on transplant waiting lists for organs, including the heart, lung, liver, kidney, and pancreas, and over 500 of these are waiting for a kidney transplant. Last year, 263 organ transplants were carried out thanks to the generosity of 84 deceased donors and 30 living kidney donors. This included 175 kidney transplants, 53 liver transplants, 16 heart transplants, 15 lung transplants, and four pancreas transplants. The association believes the need for a national conversation about organ donation has never been more urgent. Leeann understand the concerns people have and it's not a topic that families, people with young children and people in loving relationships, want to readily discuss. 'Some people want to donate and then their families don't want to, so I think that's what they're trying to aim at. It's not a discussion everyone wants to take up with their family either. I have an 11-year-old daughter. It's not a discussion I'd like to be having. You just don't want it to ever happen. But then there are kids that need donors as well, so you kind of have to look at it in that way. Smaller babies need smaller organs.' Her son, Nathan, who is now 25, has a donor card, but her daughter 'is not something I'd like to think of'. 'But I probably would donate her organs. I'd be selective, I suppose . . . the eyes, I don't know. I've never broached it with Abby. Nathan was 18. But he grew up with me, he was nine when I had the transplant. So he's seen the actual impact of me having a transplant, the benefit of it, so he'd be all for it.' Leeann would urge every adult to look carefully at the new law change as there has been some confusion over exactly what it means. 'It's not being forced on people. It's just like if you leave it on the long finger and you didn't get it done then there's kind of that confusion.' She believes there needs to be a much better awareness campaign, as people have genuine fears and concerns that have not been adequately addressed. Colin White, the national advocacy and projects manager for the Irish Kidney Association, said the changes that will come into force on June 17, are 'very nuanced' and the legislation ensures that family members will always be consulted before any action is taken. "If you go into the terminology, it's what's called a soft opt-out with family consent,' he said. But he agrees that 'in the absence of clarity, chaos reigns'. 'The messaging we're trying to put around it is, it's a step forward, there's a lot more in the legislation than just the consent element. It's the first piece of domestic legislation on organ donation and transplantation in the history of the state. Prior to this, practices were essentially being rooted in the 1832 Human Anatomy Act, so it is a positive step forward, but it's a little misleading, unfortunately, how some of the messaging has been put out about it, and that the headlines are going with, unless you opt out, consent will be presumed.' Mr White concedes it is a 'highly emotive subject' and that some of the fears being stoked continue the narrative 'the government are out to get you, so now they're coming out after your organs'. 'Organ donation and transplantation relies on public trust,' he said. 'The reality of what's going to happen on the ground is the family role remains central. What's actually going to happen at the coal face is if somebody has not opted out, the next step is to approach the family – and it is literally in black and white in the legislation. "And I'm disappointed in the Department of Health, we've been pointing it out since they were drafting the legislation, the importance of getting that messaging right, like they have it in the legislation, for me there's two paragraphs to pull out, that's explaining deemed consent, and then explaining that the medical practitioners cannot go ahead with retrieval if the family object, and they have to ask the family. "Any healthcare practitioner must assure themselves very clearly that the designated family member has no objection to organ donation going ahead, and in the absence of that assurance, they cannot proceed,' he explained. The advice is to 'empower your family to ensure that your wishes are respected,' Mr White added. "So have that family conversation, so that in the event that if you have chosen not to opt out, and your family is approached, because they know your wishes, they're much more likely to give consent.' Regarding the issue of young children, he recounts a school project he was involved in, where the students wanted to do a young social innovators project on promoting organ donation and promoting the conversation around it. "The girls' view of it was, our parents are never going to talk to us about this, because the thoughts of talking about the death of your children, with your children, is just too much to consider, so their view was, well, if we can get it into education, then we're bringing the conversation home. 'Today in school we learnt about organ donation and how we can transform the lives of others.' "We've focused on putting the lived experience out there, the individual stories, so trying to get behind the statistics, behind the jargon, and say, look, it's about Mary, it's about John. It's somebody who could be your family member, it could be your neighbour, it could be your work colleague. It's very real, and the gift of life is very transformative.'
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
‘Her generosity is beyond words' says Irish farmer who received kidney from goddaughter 32 years after first transplant
AN Irish farmer received a kidney from his goddaughter 32 years after his first transplant - and he said "her generosity is beyond words". As Organ Donor Awareness Week comes to an end, Michael Fennessy explained how his second kidney 3 A farmer said a transplant from his goddaughter saved his life Credit: Irish Kidney Association 3 His story is coming to light during Organ Donor Awareness Week Credit: Irish Kidney Association A farmer from Cahir Katie, now in her 30s, had been a flower girl at Michael and his wife Carmel's wedding three decades ago, which was almost postponed due to his first kidney transplant. At that time, Michael was 27 and struggling with serious health issues when a call came just days before the He said: 'I was 27 when I got my first transplant. READ MORE IN HEALTH 'I was really struggling with my health at the time. Carmel and I had a wedding date set, the invitations were issued, but my health was in decline. 'Then, out of the blue, we got the call to say a deceased donor kidney had become available and this was just 6 days before we were due to marry.' The pair eventually tied the knot with a new sense of gratitude - and his goddaughter Katie had her moment as the flower girl like planned. Over the years, Michael and Katie remained close and when his kidney began to decline again decades later, she didn't hesitate to be tested as a potential living donor. Most read in The Irish Sun Michael said: 'Katie is both my niece and my goddaughter from before my children were born. 'When she offered to be tested, I was deeply moved. It's not something you can ever take for granted.' I'm the first human patient to receive a pig heart transplant - the 'shot in the dark' could save my life She was one of several Tests showed it was Katie who proved to be the best match and her decision to donate gave Michael a second chance at life once again. Michael continued: 'Her generosity is beyond words. I'll never be able to thank her enough.' Michael and Carmel now have three adult children and they always honoured the anniversary of his first transplant with a mass and family gatherings. Only a few months after donating her kidney, Katie moved to And although she left Ireland, Michael said her incredible act of love and generosity will remain part of her legacy at home. He added: 'I've been given a second chance again. 'To get 32 years from the first kidney was a blessing from a deceased donor family. 'And now, to have Katie give me another chance with renewed health, it's something I'll be forever grateful for.' ORGAN DONOR AWARENESS WEEK Running until May 17, Organ Donor Awareness Week is a campaign led by the Irish Kidney Association and Organ Donation Transplant Ireland to encourage more conversations about organ donation. In 2024, the 263 organ Among these were 175 kidney transplants, 53 liver transplants, 16 heart transplants, 15 lung transplants and 4 pancreas transplants. And there are still 676 people waiting for life saving transplants in Ireland, with over 500 of whom in need of a kidney. To support organ donation, the Irish Kidney Association said you can start by talking to your loved ones and making your wishes known. You can also request a free Organ Donor Card from their website at To order an organ donor card, click 3 She was the flower girl at his wedding over 30 years prior Credit: Irish Kidney Association
Irish Times
13-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Waiting for an organ donor: ‘It was the beginning of the hardest chapter in our family's life'
Kidney failure brings extra complications for people living with disabilities. Fiona McDonald's 21st birthday should have been a celebratory milestone, but it turned out to be the day she was diagnosed with kidney failure. 'It was the beginning of the hardest chapter in our family's life,' says her only sibling, Emma. The next nine years that Fiona had to spend on dialysis were particularly complex, because she has a rare chromosomal disorder that has affected her physical and intellectual development. 'Watching someone you love suffering, especially when they can't fully understand why, is a kind of heartbreak I can't quite describe,' says Emma. READ MORE She and her parents, Michael and Pauline, took turns to be at Fiona's side throughout, not only during dialysis, but also as she struggled with being too unwell to attend her day service centre. Fiona is one of more than 5,400 people living in the State who have been diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and are being treated with dialysis or through the transplant of a donor kidney, according to 2024 figures from the HSE National Renal Office. A successful transplant frees the recipient from the very demanding routine of dialysis, and greatly improves both their health and life expectancy. Just over half of those living with ESKD have had a transplant, while 2,581 are undergoing dialysis. Source: Organ Donation Transplant Ireland/HSE This is Organ Donor Awareness Week, which is organised by the Irish Kidney Association ( ). Of the 263 organ transplants that took place in Ireland last year , 175 were of kidneys, including 30 from living donors. 'Don't Leave Your Loved Ones in Doubt, Share Your Wishes about Organ Donation' is the theme this year of Organ Donor Awareness Week, run in conjunction with the HSE's Organ Donation Transplant Ireland service, until May 17th. Fiona McDonald Within months of her diagnosis, Fiona had to start nightly peritoneal dialysis at home in Ballinakill, Co Laois. But she often pulled out the tubing, not understanding what it was for. 'This led to repeated infections, hospital stays, and setbacks that drained all of us emotionally and physically,' says Emma. After peritoneal dialysis failed, Fiona was switched to haemodialysis in Waterford hospital three times weekly, four hours at a time. She and a family member also had to cope with an hour's journey each way to get this done until, a few years on, her treatment could be done in Kilkenny, cutting the travel time in half. 'We took it in turns to sit with her, amusing her with books, pictures and videos to avoid her pulling out the tubing. The years crawled by.' They lost hope of Fiona ever getting a kidney transplant. 'There were times we felt invisible in the system.' At the end of 2024, there were 559 people on the kidney transplant waiting list, up 4.5 per cent from the previous year. Recipients of kidneys from deceased donors are selected from the shortlist compiled by the National Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Service for Solid Organ Transplantation (NHISSOT), based in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital . The National Renal Transplant Programme outlines the 'decision tree' for selection of recipients: 'Paediatric patients, ABO patients [ie those with one of the four main blood groups, A, B, O and AB], acceptable mismatched patients, significantly sensitised patients, full house matched patients, longest waiting. 'The strict order of decision-making may have to change due to factors such as a recipient has had one or more previous transplants; age, body weight and condition of the donor organs; the age, anatomy of the potential recipient; co-morbidities present in the potential recipient, etc.' The final decision on accepting a particular kidney from a deceased donor rests with the transplant surgeon, following consultation with the nephrologist responsible for the care of the recipient. When the call came from Beaumont Hospital one night in September 2022 telling the McDonald family that there was a donor kidney for Fiona, they were overwhelmed. After nine years, 'we had forgotten what hope really felt like'. Once Fiona got her transplant, all of their lives were hugely improved, as normality could resume after almost a decade of dialysis, and she is back in day services full-time. 'Fiona's amazing; always smiling and always in good form,' says Emma, who now has a one-year-old daughter, Katie. The McDonalds will be forever grateful to the family of the donor who gave Fiona the chance to live her life again and enabled them to see her become the brightest, healthiest, happiest version of herself. 'Stories like hers matter,' adds Emma. 'Organ donation saves lives, even when the situation is complicated. Especially then.' 'We have to have a 'think outside the box' mindset' Mother of three Louise Milicevic (nee O'Grady) was happily getting on with life despite the challenges of having cerebral palsy when she was told two years ago she also had hereditary polycystic kidney disease (PKD). She had understood that tests she underwent as a teenager, after her mother died of the disease at the age of 58, meant she would herself be free of it. Louise Milicevic. Photograph: Alan Betson The diagnosis was itself shock enough, before being told she was in the fourth of five stages of kidney failure. Her condition only came to light because her youngest daughter had been found to have PKD at age six in 2022 after becoming ill; it later became apparent she must have inherited it from Louise. 'I kept thinking that they were going to tell me that they got it wrong because I didn't have any major symptoms. I was feeling a little bit sluggish, a little bit tired in the morning, but I was putting that down to being a full-time working mum with a disability.' My parents were remarkably resilient people, and when you are raised in that environment, it is instilled in you — Louise Milicevic Despite her dismay, Louise, who has just turned 50, knew she had to get on with her life. She and her South African-born husband Stefan, who also has cerebral palsy, are well practised at that. They both have just the use of one arm each, and there were 'a lot of raised eyebrows' when they had the first of their three daughters, and came under huge pressure to prove themselves as capable parents. 'We have to have a 'think outside the box' mindset,' she says. 'My parents were remarkably resilient people, and when you are raised in that environment, it is instilled in you.' She was only 15 when her mother died, but had watched her deal with her illness 'with tremendous grace and dignity'. [ John Cooney: 'role model' boxer (28) killed in ring will live on after organ donation, funeral hears Opens in new window ] Last August, Louise stepped back from work with the Rehab Group, choosing to devote her diminished energy levels to her family at home in Newbridge, Co Kildare. She started twice weekly dialysis, for three hours each time, in Tallaght University Hospital , Dublin, at the end of last year. To facilitate this, an AV fistula, which is a surgical connection between an artery and a vein, had to be made in her functioning right arm 12 weeks previously. That limb is her lifeline. 'I do everything with that arm. If I lost function, I wouldn't have any level of independence.' When on the dialysis machine, she can do nothing for herself, such as lift a glass of water or read a book, and any infection in the arm would have a huge impact on her life. Louise Milicevic. Photograph: Alan Betson Louise is not yet on the transplant list as she first has to have one of her kidneys, which has become very enlarged with cysts, removed. She is waiting for a timeline for that. It is only after she goes on both the deceased donor and living donor lists that one family member's potential as a suitable match will be investigated. The fifth of eight siblings to be diagnosed with PKD, Louise sees light at the end of the tunnel through two brothers who have had transplants – 'and they're doing tremendously well'. 'I always will have end-stage kidney disease,' she adds, 'but once you have the transplant, your quality of life is so vastly improved, and you can go back to doing pretty much everything you did before. In the meantime, dialysis keeps us well and healthy and here, which is the most important thing.' 'It was the last thing we could do for our daughter' On the afternoon when Emma Harte had an asthma attack out of the blue that triggered a cardiac arrest, she was baking at home in Co Wicklow with her daughter Skye, who was about to turn three. When Emma's mother Rose rushed in, having been called home from just down the road by her husband, she saw green-coloured icing on the buns in the kitchen and her first thought was that this had caused an allergic reaction. Emma, who was 31 and engaged to be married, usually steered clear of foods and ingredients containing E numbers. She had been diagnosed with asthma as a child, but the condition had never caused her major problems and she had never been hospitalised with it. It's such a shame that so many people die and are buried [without giving organs] – and so many people can live because of them — Rose, mother of late donor Emma However, that afternoon, Rose found her eldest daughter in the bathroom, unable to speak, and she collapsed a moment later. Both Rose and one of Emma's two sisters did CPR and got her pulse back before the first responders arrived at their house in Greystones. Emma was put on life support in St Vincent's Hospital , and initially her family were told 'to ease the lungs', says Rose. But it was to transpire that oxygen deprivation had caused brain death, so there was no longer any hope of recovery. As the family kept vigil at the hospital, it was late in the evening when a woman introduced herself as an organ donor co-ordinator and raised the possibility of Emma's organs being made available for transplant. While the thought was not in her parents' minds at that distressing moment, 'we were very acquainted with Emma's wishes', Rose tells The Irish Times more than six years later, so the suggestion 'didn't feel alien to us'. Emma had been just 12 years of age when one day she produced an organ donation card for her mother to sign, as she was still a minor. There were boxes for different organs to be ticked, but Rose recalls putting a cross against 'corneas' and telling her daughter, 'they're not getting your eyes'. Emma Harte That card, from 1999, was carried everywhere by Emma, who was always very matter-of-fact about organ donation, and convinced it was the right thing to do. Just three weeks before she died she had been sent to the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital for an eye infection that was not clearing up and, poignantly, Rose remembers joking with Emma that her eyes would be no use to anybody now anyway. Knowing exactly what their daughter wanted, her grieving parents immediately gave the go-ahead for organ donation that October night in St Vincent's in 2018. 'We didn't even have to think about it, because it wasn't our decision,' says Rose. 'Even though I didn't want her touched or cut, it was the last thing we could do for her on behalf of her.' She imagines how difficult it must be for any distraught family going through something similar who don't know a loved one's wishes and may be conflicted about what to do. That is why she would encourage everybody to talk about organ donation within families, to make their choice clear and to carry a card, or opt in on the driver's licence. [ Donation of son's organs 'has gifted his family hope', mother says Opens in new window ] Sudden death happens every day of the week, Rose points out, 'but you just don't think it's going to come into your house. It's such a shame that so many people die and are buried [without giving organs] – and so many people can live because of them.' She has been told four females benefited from the transplanting of Emma's organs, including a young girl who got her heart. The recipients have sent some 'beautiful letters', which are facilitated anonymously through the donor co-ordinator. While Rose intends to write back some day, she has not been able to face it yet. She thinks other grieving parents might take some comfort from their deceased child's organs helping others, but that is not the case for her. 'The fact that there are humans out there trying to live their best lives because of her is an amazing thing. But it doesn't make me feel any better,' she adds candidly. The pain of Emma's loss is too great. 'You can't be healed, you carry it – but it's so bleeding hard.' Meanwhile, they talk about her all the time 'as if she's here' with Skye, who is now aged nine, living with her father and doing well.
Irish Examiner
06-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
'It gives us real solace': Brother of murder victim whose organs saved lives urges others to become donors
The brother of Cian Gallagher who died after an unprovoked assault in 2022 said he always helped people and donating his organs was a 'really lovely' way to continue that. Mr Gallagher was just 26 when he died after being attacked in Tallow, Waterford. His attacker later received the mandatory sentence of life in prison for murder. 'Cian was always helping people, that's who he was,' his brother Shane said at the launch of organ donor awareness week on Tuesday. 'So from tragic circumstances, it's fitting that his last act was to go on to help people, to save three people's lives and to improve their lives as well.' He described how people shared stories with the family, saying: 'There were a few nice stories that we didn't even know about, they came out online after he died". Heart transplant recipient Nick Hines from Clonaslee, Co Laois, with his mother Annie, wife Tracey, and daughter Molly at Organ Donor Awareness Week 2025. Cian died in Cork University Hospital. 'We just wanted Cian to get better, but when we knew he wasn't, it was a fairly easy decision for us, we said 'yes, we're doing this',' he said. He urged everyone to learn about organ donation. 'It 100% helped us, it gives us real solace, and if we're feeling down we can take a step back and say 'Cian did help people',' he said. 'Many people spend their whole lives and they don't help as much as Cian did with one act.' They received a letter from one recipient, and he said: 'It was lovely, it was really lovely, it really changed that person's life.' Some people who received organs spoke at the event. Nick Hines, from Minnesota, has lived in Ireland for over 20 years with his Irish wife and family. 'Time is funny, 22 years seems plenty in some respects but when you're told your time is up, it seems like a flash,' he said. I'm here because I received a heart from an organ donor. This was 'a remarkable gift', he said. It followed him collapsing from an asymptomatic heart condition. He was listed for a transplant as he became ever more ill. 'I lived for three years with the knowledge the rug could be pulled at a moment's notice, each night I would assess my day in detail while trying to sleep and consider the implications of not waking up,' he said. Avril Whitty from Clearinstown, near Wexford town, who underwent a liver transplant, with her husband Justin Whitty and their two children Alicia, 19, and Cora, 10. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography Mr Hines became emotional as he thanked his donor and healthcare workers, saying: 'Now when I have a day that's good, I can thank my donor for the joy.' The event is hosted by the Irish Kidney Association, which urged everyone to discuss becoming a donor with their families. Dr Brian O'Brien, clinical director of organ donation transplant Ireland with the HSE, said: 'Organ donation, a gesture of kindness to strangers made in the bleakest of circumstances, encapsulates much of what is good about humanity. "Under forthcoming legislation, living donation will become more feasible in Ireland.' Last year 263 organ transplants were carried out due to 84 deceased donors and 30 living kidney donors. The transplants included 175 kidney transplants, 53 liver transplants, 16 heart transplants, 15 lung transplants and four pancreas transplants. Information on how to become a donor can be found here. Read More Grandmother of boys abducted by her son appeals court ruling in attempt to keep boys in Egypt
