Organ Donor Awareness Week, launching Saturday, May 10, in Dublin, aims to promote the life-saving impact of organ donation.in the past year, more than 260 organ transplants were performed in Ireland, thanks to the generosity of 84 deceased donors and 30 living kidney donors.

A Second Chance at Life

Adrian Flynn, diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2016, received a double lung transplant nearly two years ago. This transplant dramatically altered his life after a long and uncertain wait.

Flynn spent three years on the transplant list, including 11 months as an inpatient at Dublin’s Mater Hospital, one of the longest waits for a lung transplant in the facility. He recalls the emotional toll of that period:

I remember vividly the day I left my home in early 2023, uncertain if I would ever return, except perhaps in a coffin. I had accepted that death was a very real possibility.

Adrian flynn, double lung transplant recipient

Flynn acknowledges the fragility of life and the importance of organ donation, noting that other patients with lung conditions in the hospital at the time did not make it, and I am deeply aware of just how lucky I was to survive. His family provided crucial support during his wait, which included five false alarms for a transplant.

Without the donor, there is no transplant. But without the doctors and staff, there’s no survival either.

Adrian Flynn, double lung transplant recipient

Gratitude and Remembrance

Avril Whitty, a liver transplant recipient from almost two years ago, received her transplant while raising her two daughters, then aged 17 and eight. She emphasizes the profound impact of her donor’s selfless act:

Their selfless decision to donate life-saving organs in the midst of such grief is something I will carry with me forever.

Avril Whitty, liver transplant recipient

Whitty reflects on the emotional challenges she faced before the transplant:

Watching your children grow while wondering if you’ll be around to see the next year of their lives – that’s a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But they gave me strength.

She also speaks of her deep gratitude for her donor:

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about my donor and their family. I don’t know their name,but I carry their spirit with me every single day.

I live my life now in honor of them, with more gratitude, more purpose and more love. I am living now and not just surviving.

A Call for Normality

Keelyn Murphy, a Dublin primary school teacher undergoing dialysis three times a week, is currently on the transplant list. She hopes a kidney transplant will give her and her family a chance at a normal life.

A chance for us to have what so many people take for granted. A chance to finally step out of the waiting room and back into life, she said, urging others to discuss organ donation with their families.

A Mother’s Pride

Olivia Farrell’s daughter, Lauren, died at the age of 24 following a sudden heart attack in 2022. The decision to donate Lauren’s organs has brought solace to Farrell, knowing her daughter’s final act saved lives.

The pride I feel is indescribable.

To know that another person lives on, that other families have been spared this heartbreak because of her selfless act is a testament to her loving, giving nature, the pride I feel is indescribable, Farrell said.

Farrell emphasizes the importance of discussing organ donation with loved ones:

I can’t emphasise enough the importance of talking about these decisions beforehand.

None of us know what is going to happen tomorrow, and by having the discussions with your loved ones, we can respect each other’s wishes in times of tragedy.