Major milestones reached on Organ Donor Awareness Week

This year's Organ Donor Awareness Week 2018 marked a veritable sleuth of significant milestones for the Irish Kidney Association. Among them it marked the 40th anniversary of the organisation and donor card, to the 60th Anniversary of the first dialysis treatment in 1958, and the 55th anniversary of the first transplant at the old St. Vincent’s Hospital in December 1963.

The annual Organ Donor Awareness campaign is organised by the Irish Kidney Associationwith support from ODTI (Organ Donation Transplantation Ireland), and this year runs from March 31 until April 7.
2017 was a record year for organ transplantation for Ireland, with a total of 327 organs being transplanted into 321 patients including a total of 23 children/paediatric transplants.
At the launch last week, at Dublin's Mansion House, Chief Executive of the Irish Kidney Association Mark Murphy said: “It is thanks to the gift of organ donation that almost 3500 transplanted people in Ireland are enjoying extended life. At the end of 2017, there were 524 people active on the various transplant waiting pools for heart, liver, kidney, lung and pancreas.”
Also present at the launch were Minister of State for Health Promotion Catherine Byrne, and Broadcaster Claire Byrne who serves as voluntary ambassador for organ donor awareness.
Mr. Murphy continued by praising the “selfless and profound generosity” of the families of 99 deceased donors in Ireland which resulted in a total of 260 transplants taking place last year. 
The 260 deceased donor organ transplants comprised 141 kidneys, 62 Liver, 16 Heart, 36 Lungs and 5 pancreas transplants.
A record of 51 living donor kidney transplants were also carried out.
Earlier, the story of Leitrim woman, and student at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, Meadhbh McGivern was highlighted among the success stories of the campaign.
The Ballinamore-native made national headlines in 2011 over a transport debacle when her family were unable to get urgent transport to fly her to the UK for the liver transplant. Two months later she underwent a successful liver transplant at Kings Hospital in London. She was 14 years old. 
Having received a liver from a deceased donor, Maedhbh stated: “While anonymous, I pray for my deceased donor and their wonderful family every day. 
The ending of my donor’s life meant a new start to mine. Needless to say, I have been a strong advocate of organ donation ever since. The importance cannot be over stated. I am now half way through a social science degree in NUIM. Life is good. I am so lucky, and so thankful.”