19-year old Darren Burns from Kevin Barry's Villas owes his new lease of life to his dad Mike, who donated one of his kidneys to his son during a five-hour procedure at Beaumont Hospital earlier this month.
Big-hearted Tralee man Mike saved the life of his son Darren (19) by donating him one of his kidneys and says everyone should carry a donor card, as someone’s life is literally in your hands. He told Anton Savage on the Anton Savage Show today that he did not give donating his kidney to Darren a second thought. For one week of soreness, his son has a life, he revealed.
The pair were cool as a cucumber about the procedure, which took place at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital, which carries out all adult kidney transplants in Ireland.
Darren diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease at 9 years of age but as he tells Anton it didn’t get in the way of an active life. “I just belted away with it” he said. He had thought pain was appendicitis as it felt like a stitch, but thanks to his mothers determination to get to the bottom of it and her sense that something wasn’t right, he was diagnosed in time.
He could have had a massive heart attack at just 9 years of age if he had not been diagnosed in time.
He’s been on a strict medication regime ever since to keep the condition under control but carried on with his life. “It’s pointless thinking about it, you just belt away,” the positive-thinking lad told Anton.
Back in 2013 his condition began to deteriorate and 4 months ago he was referred to Beaumont Hospital having been told that he needed a life-saving kidney transplant. Luckily, both of Darren's parents Mike and Denise were deemed suitable donors. Not all parents are suitable donors, explained Mike
As the pair recuperate at home in Tralee, they will be in and out of hospital for tests, but Darren says he will be up and running soon and wants to carry on playing football with Tralee’s Na Gaeil. In fact, he played football right up until day before transplant!
The Burns family stayed at the Irish Kidney Association House beside Beaumont hospital when both men were in hospital. Both are advocating people to sign up for a Donor Card.
Last year, there was 33 living kidney donors and transplants in Ireland. In total there were 266 organ transplants, with 153 of these being kidneys.
Not all dialysis patients will find a suitable donor within their family and some are entirely dependent on the goodwill of the general public to make the selfless decision at a time of great sadness to donate their loved ones organs.
The Irish Kidney Association is the organisation charged with the promotion and distribution of the multi organ donor card in Ireland.
BECOME A DONOR:
Irish Kidney Association and Donor Cards (www.ika.ie/card)
To request an Organ Donor Card simply freetext DONOR to 50050
Download the Organ Donor Ecard from the Google Play Store or the i-store
If you have an old Driving Licence, tick the Donor box.
