'It changed my life - I could be normal again'

Aine McMahon Give the gift of life, is the message from Bobby Dunne and the Irish Kidney Association this week. Bobby received a kidney transplant 21 years ago and has since reclaimed the sort of normal life most people take for granted. He attributes his good health and family of four to the anonymous donor who made the decision to have their organs used two decades ago and he is now encouraging everyone to carry an organ donor card to help people like him. Bobby agreed that too often we take health for granted and it is not until something happens that we become aware of the importance of organ donation. He spoke to The Anglo-Celt last week while his youngest daughter, Katherine, played in the background, living proof of the huge significance organ donation can have on people's lives. Bobby, a native of St Brigid's Terrace in Cavan, went to England in the 1970s, settling in Finchley, London, where he worked as a hospital theatre technician, a butcher and finally as a clerk in the sorting office of the Royal Mail for 25 years. His kidney complaint began at the age of 19 but it took 11 years until the condition worsened, leading to end-stage kidney failure when he was 30. He began the arduous process of renal dialysis in April 1985 and in 1987 he received a kidney from his brother. "Unfortunately it didn't take. The dialysis in the home was a huge inconvenience, sitting wired up to a machine for six hours, twice a week," said Bobby. Despite this setback, a glimmer of hope appeared in January of 1990. "I went in for dialysis and they told me there was a chance. There were six people in for it and it was a case of finding the best match. Like a lottery, but I was the lucky one." The kidney was from a deceased anonymous donor and Bobby had the operation in Middlesex University College Hospital, London. "It was a big operation and I was out for 12 hours, it was touch and go at one stage. I recovered quicker however from that operation compared to the one I had for my brother's kidney. I was only in hospital recovering for a few weeks," he explained. The operation had an immediate impact on Bobby and the after-effects were minimal "I am on immuno-suppressive drugs for the rest of my life. I have been on them for the past 21 years," he said. The drugs are necessary to prevent the body from rejecting the kidney and ensure the overall health of donor recipients. "As soon as I received the kidney, it changed my life immediately. It was like the difference between day and night. I could just act normal again." The impact it had on his life cannot be underestimated: "I wouldn't give the kidney a second thought now. A lot of people I know wouldn't even know I had it. I can go for a pint and a drink which was unthinkable before - all in moderation of course!" Bobby stresses, clearly not taking his health for granted. He also swims three times a week in the Radisson, where his wife, Sharon works. Bobby met Sharon Kinsella, a Cavan town native, in Finchley and it turned out she grew up 100 yards down the road from where Bobby grew up, but their paths had not crossed until they met in London. Bobby is a great example of someone who has received a transplant and has gone on to lead a healthy and fulfilling life. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for donors. My wee daughter Katherine wouldn't be here if it wasn't for donors. Not only has it changed my life but it's also responsible for four new lives," he added. Bobby's four children, aged from 18 to two, are Robert, Gael, Caroline and Katherine. He stressed the importance of donor cards for the continuing success stories such as his: "The donor programme has slipped slightly in the last few years. People put getting a donor card on the long finger - but you can pick them up in post offices, shops, doctor's surgeries or download them off the internet," he says. (You can also express your willingness to be an organ donor on your driving licence.) He also highlighted the need to raise the profile of organ donation and commended the Irish Kidney Association's Organ Donor Awareness Week.