'Organ donation offers hope'

A Cavan-based woman will represent Ireland at the European Transplant Games this weekend.

Louise McDevitt-Farrelly, who lives in Castlerahan, has been on kidney dialysis since April of last year, and will travel to Arnhem in the Netherlands for the games this week.

The games celebrate the power of organ donation and the extraordinary second chance at life.

The mum of four will compete in the 100m and 200m sprint on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27, and will fly out the day before her race and return home on the day of her final competition.

Louise is travelling for a minimum time as she has to pause her place on the donor list while she is out of the country, which means she could miss her turn if a kidney donor were to come through.

She has been on the list for 17 months, during which time she has not travelled abroad however she wants to “chance these two days”.

Louise will be among 25 Irish athletes set to take part in the games, which will bring together more than 1,000 athletes from across Europe.

This will be Louise’s first-time representing Ireland at the International Transplant Games.

“Since starting dialysis there have been ups and downs, but overall, I feel fortunate in my journey so far,” she said.

One of the biggest adjustments has been learning how to balance exercise with recovery. “Maintaining a consistent exercise routine and learning when my body needs rest versus when it benefits from movement has been one of the biggest challenges.”

Louise opted to go for shorter sprints as she “couldn’t afford” to do a longer distance with a more vigorous training regime.

“To be honest with you, it’s more for the craic than anything,” she added.

The Donegal native was searching online for guidance around exercise while on dialysis, when she had the “good fortune” of coming across Transplant Sport Ireland. She attended a Portmarnock meeting of the group, where she described meeting everyone as a “great moment”.

She’s out walking with her kids and their dog as she speaks to the Celt, and describes how exercise has benefitted her.

“Exercise is obviously something that makes you feel better but, because you’re dealing with an illness, it can be hard to motivate yourself. You can make excuses but being involved in Transplant Sport Ireland and having this goal of the Games has really given me something to work towards.”

Louise lists the “lack of ability to plan” as one of the “greatest difficulties” that comes with being on the waiting list for organ donation.

“You can’t look too far ahead into the future, even in terms of things like holidays, forward planning with the kids... You’re very much at the mercy of when things happen, which is totally out of your control.”

However Louise is determined to “stay positive” and “focus on the things that you have control of like living as healthy a life as you can and remaining generally positive”.

She said the Transplant Sport Ireland group is “heavily under-represented” in Ulster, and appealed to people who may be interested to get involved. As well as the sporting aspect, it has also given her the opportunity to meet others in a similar situation.

“Organ donation offers hope to people like me and has the power to transform lives.”

Her message for anyone considering organ donation is heartfelt and powerful.

“We all long for more time with our loved ones, more memories to make and more life to live. By saying yes to organ donation, you have the power to give someone that chance. To someone like me, sitting in a waiting room and patiently waiting for life to resume, that decision could mean everything.

“Organ donation is more than a medical procedure, it is hope, time and the opportunity for a future that might not otherwise be possible.”