Spring Has Arrived and You Will Have Noticed, from the Front

pring has arrived and you will have noticed, from the front cover of this edition of SUPPORT, that Ray D’Arcy has kindly responded to our request, for the second time, to Sbe an Ambassador for the Irish Kidney Association’s 2019 Organ Donor Awareness Week's campaign. He previously headed the campaigns in 1998 and 1999. Fundraising is an essential part of the Association's past and future. ‘Yes’ we are in a position to expand our services and about a quarter of our annual expenditure is funded by the HSE. However, the remainder of the €1.75 million expenditure comes from fundraising and donations. Currently, we are developing a six bedroom Renal Support House adjacent to the Cork University Hospital. Negotiations to provide a four to five station holiday dialysis centre in Tramore, Co. Waterford are advancing to accommodate up to sixteen local patients for year-long dialysis. The new purchase of an additional holiday house in Killarney is ready for the season and, indeed, the Renal Support Centre in Beaumont is currently undergoing a facelift (see page 31). We have ambitions to provide an accommodation and holiday facility on the grounds of Merlin Park Hospital in Galway and, for the first time in many years, we are in a position to commit Contents... €250,000 to kidney research projects, over a five year period. 2 EDITORIAL FRONT COVER 4 RAY D’ARCY, IKA AMBASSDOR Ray D’Arcy, 6 ORGAN DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION 2019 Ambassador for the IKA’s 2018 Organ Donor 8 TRANSPLANT BABY JOY Awareness campaigns. 9 EDUCATION HELPS ACADEMIC ALONG – See page 4 – TRANSPLANT JOURNEY 10 CENSUS OF RENAL PATIENTS 2018 13 RETIRED PRISON OFFICER CELEBRATES 25th ANNIVERSARY OF KIDNEY TRANSPLANT 14 GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED OPT-OUT LEGISLATION Photo: Conor McCabe Photography. 16 LETTER TO THE IRISH TIMES 2 IKA SUPPORT SPRING 2019 All this growth will increase our annual budget (see page 41). This is where the election for and the ongoing fundraising, conducted by the National officers is concluded. We will plan talks branch members across the country, will keep us in the coming weeks for the Patients Conference. independent of the HSE. We are not a service Enclosed in this SUPPORT you will find various provider charity to the HSE, however, they do statistics for 2018. Our headline is worth contribute to some of our services. repeating here - 54% Continuing to encourage organ donor cards of Irish people, with directly into the hands of the public and, failed kidneys, are generating the discussion about organ donation treated by receiving a within families, is more important than the kidney transplant. We fundraising conducted during the Organ Donor are one of about ten Awareness Week. Demonstrating the impact of countries, worldwide, organ transplantation on people’s lives impacts where the majority of well on the public at large. So, why not give your patients are local IKA branch a call and offer them two hours transplanted rather of your time, helping out in your own than remaining on community. Branch Secretaries' phone numbers dialysis. That is entirely r are on page 63 of this SUPPORT. due to the generosity At this time, every two years, the twenty five of the public in IKA branches elect their Officers and a National donating organs at a sad and most difficult time Board Member. Your local branch, which you are and we sincerely thank them for this. welcome to join at any time, will be having their I was delighted that An Post decided to AGM in April. If you wish to contribute and get produce a stamp promoting organ donation and involved in your local branch, do contact the equally pleased that organ donor cards are now Secretary from your area. available in every post office in the country. Like the IKA branches, the elections for the May I wish you all a successful Organ Donor National Officers takes place at this time, and Awareness Week and I hope our Spring weather you, the members will have the chance to vote will be benevolent to all our volunteers. for the National offices of Chairman, Treasurer Thank you and Secretary of the whole organisation, if an election is required. The AGM of the Association is taking place on June 29th in the Red Cow Moran Hotel, Dublin MARK MURPHY 17 KATTA’S KIDNEY TRANSPLANT SUCCESS 32 CREATIVE MEGAN THANKS PLAY SPECIALIST 18 WALLS 34 BRITISH TRANSPLANT GAMES 20 LIFE GOES ON FOR FAMILY WITH PKD 35 RUN FOR A LIFE 22 SPRING INTO ACTION 36 MOTHER’S PRIDE AS SON SAVES LIVES 24 PATIENTS HELPING PATIENTS TOWARDS 37 NEW STAMP FOR ORGAN DONATION WELLNESS 38 EUDONORGAN SOCIAL AWARENESS EVENT 26 TIME TO MOVE 39 GIVING BACK FOR GIFT OF LIFE 27 REFIT FOR LIFE! 40 SOCIAL MEDIA & COMMUNICATION 28 PARAMEDIC CELEBRATES TRANSPLANT 29 KNOW YOUR HOSPITAL... 41 IKA AGM 30 HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION FOR 42 AROUND THE BRANCHES KIDNEY PATIENTS 62 MEMBERSHIP FORM 31 RENAL SUPPORT CENTRE FACELIFT 63 BRANCH SECRETARIES IKA SUPPORT SPRING 2019 3 IKA’S NEW AMBASSADOR FOR ORGAN DONOR AWARENESS Photo: Conor McCabe 4 IKA SUPPORT SPRING 2019 Ray D’Arcy he Irish Kidney Association is delighted to announce Tthat Ray D’Arcy has agreed to the voluntary role of ambassador for organ donor awareness 2019 taking up the baton from Claire Byrne who fronted last year’s campaign. Ray, the popular RTÉ TV and radio broadcaster was also the ambassador for the campaign two decades ago. Since then he has continued to champion the life- saving cause on national airwaves. He will front the 2019 Organ Donor Awareness Week campaign which will take place from March 30th until April 6th encouraging the public to support organ donation for transplantation by letting their Ray D'Arcy as IKA Ambassador with then Minister for Health Brian Cowan and some Forget-Me-Not children at the loved ones know their wishes. national launch of Organ Donor Awareness Week at Buswells Hotel in 1999. #Have the Chat with their family members as I have Ray will feature in radio done with mine. It doesn’t have to advertising and posters as well as be a long conversation, but it is such attending the national launch in the a vital and potentially life-saving Mansion House Dublin on Tuesday, one. The legacy of organ donation March 26th. by selfless deceased donor families Ray said, “It’s such an honour to is profound.” be asked to be ambassador for this Chief Executive of the Irish Kidney year’s campaign. Organ donation is Association (IKA) Mark Murphy said, something that I feel very strongly “It’s wonderful to have Ray D’Arcy, about. Listening to people’s stories who enjoys household name down through the years about recognition, lending his support organ transplantation, dialysis and once again to the IKA twenty-one organ donation, sometimes heart- years after first fronting the annual warming and at other times heart- campaign. Ray has always wrenching, I honestly believe that Ray D’Arcy, 1998 and 2019 Ambassador demonstrated great empathy for there is no better gift in life than the I commend the donors who have people touched by organ failure. To gift of organ donation.” made this possible. There are have such a popular figure “I have heard from grieving approximately 550 people in Ireland representing the IKA, a charity families about the solace they have awaiting an organ transplant and organisation of patients and carers, got from donating the organs of hopefully these people’s lives will be carries with it huge impetus to the someone they have loved knowing saved through organ work we have undertaken that other individuals and families transplantation. I would encourage advocating and caring for our have benefited. The news of a everyone to discuss organ donation patients.” person receiving a transplant affects the families involved and it ripples through communities around “I HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT THERE IS Ireland. “I have also heard how people’s NO BETTER GIFT IN LIFE THAN THE lives have been transformed through organ transplantation and GIFT OF ORGAN DONATION.” IKA SUPPORT SPRING 2019 5 ORGAN DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 10 year 10 year Total avg. Deceased Donors 81 99 77 81 63 86 78 93 58 90 806 80.6 Transplantation Kidneys 127 141 122 120 112 147 131 165 98 154 1317 131.7 from Deceased Liver 56 62 58 61 44 55 50 61 38 64 549 54.9 Donors Heart 18 16 15 16 18 11 10 6 3 11 124 12.4 Lungs 28 36 35 36 31 32 14 8 4 5 229 22.9 Pancreas 5 5 0 0 6 11 1 8 8 9 53 5.3 SUB-TOTAL 234 260 230 233 211 256 206 248 151 243 2272 227.2 Living kidney donors 40 51 50 33 40 38 32 27 23 18 352 35.2 & transplants All organ transplants 274 311 280 266 251 294 238 275 174 261 2624 262.4 TOTAL Living & deceased 167 192 donor kidney Tx 172 153 152 185 163 192 121 172 1669 166.9 Organ Donation and Transplantation 2018 t was always going to be a For the first time in 10 years the difficult task to follow on from By living donor kidney transplant Ithe record-breaking year for MARK MURPHY numbers did not grow and dropped Organ Donation and Transplantation from 51 in 2017 to 40 in 2018. in 2017 as the uncertainty of As a result there were no records Surely it is now time for Ireland to availability of deceased organ broken in transplantation in 2018.

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