A young teacher will run today's (Sunday, October 25) Irish Life Dublin Marathon for the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) after her best friend, now a farm succession mediator, received the liver transplant that profoundly changed both their lives.

Every day, when the clock struck 11:11, Niamh Foran would make the same wish: that her friend and college contemporary, 29-year-old Edel Cashman who grew up on the family poultry and dairy farm in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, would get the call that could save her life.

As a biology teacher at Educate Together in Dublin, Niamh teaches her students about organs and how they function, but Edel's experience gave the subject a deeply personal meaning.

Niamh said: “I teach my students about human anatomy, including organs and how important they are to the body, but Edel's story has given organ donation a very personal meaning for me.

"When you see what an organ transplant can mean to someone's life, it brings the science home in a very different way.”

Niamh chose to fundraise for IKA because of its work promoting organ donation and transplantation through the organ donor card, while also supporting people living with kidney disease and their families.

The friends are passionate about encouraging people to consider becoming organ donors and giving others the chance of a second chance at life.

The two women met during their first year studying agricultural science at University College Dublin (UCD) and became close friends almost immediately.

Edel had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease at just nine years-of-age, which was managed with medication throughout her childhood and teenage years.

But at the beginning of her second year at UCD, Edel's health began to deteriorate and she eventually had to take time away from college and return home to Cork, while continuing to travel to Dublin for regular appointments at St. Vincent's Hospital.

A serious bout of sepsis in autumn 2016 left her critically ill and in an induced coma.

Transplant waiting list

It was following this episode that she was placed on the transplant waiting list.

After recovering from sepsis, medics warned her about the symptoms to look out for and stressed the importance of going straight to hospital if they returned.

While Edel was waiting for a suitable donor, Niamh began her daily 11:11 ritual.

Every day, when the clock struck 11:11, she would make a wish that Edel would receive the call for her transplant.

By the time Edel received the call that a suitable donor liver was available, she had spent 22 months on the transplant waiting list.

Niamh explained: “I've always thought of 11:11 as a moment of synchronicity and a little reminder to stop, make a wish and focus on something positive.

"So, I started wishing at 11:11 every single day that Edel would get the call for her transplant.

"I couldn't do anything to change what was happening, so it became my little moment of hope for her."

She decided to make the significance of 11:11 permanent. Niamh had matching 11:11 bracelets made for the two friends and also had 11:11 tattooed on her side.

Just two hours before Edel got the call for her transplant, Niamh picked up the engraved bracelets from the jewellers.

Edel said: “When Niamh came to see me after my transplant with the bracelets, it was very emotional. 

“I knew about the 11:11 and she used to send me the screenshots every day, but I didn't realise that her wish every single time was for me to get the call.

"Then the bracelets arrived a couple hours before I got it. It became something very special between us.”

After recovering from her transplant, Edel got a matching 11:11 tattoo on her side, making the symbol a permanent reminder of their friendship and the journey they had been through together.

Irish Kidney Association

Since her transplant, Edel who has become a passionate advocate for organ donation remains deeply grateful to the family of her deceased donor.

She now lives in Carrigaline, pursuing a career in farm succession mediation.

Until mid-October of this year she worked part-time as a patient support officer at the IKA Munster kidney support centre, close to Cork University Hospital (CUH).

For Edel, the work at the IKA’s Munster kidney support centre brought her journey full circle. 

She said: “Being around people who have been through similar things has been really nice.

"It can be lonely because not everyone understands, and you don't always talk about it as the years pass.

"I know how helpless they must have felt, so it's really special to be able to help others now," she added.

In 2019, Edel was a guest speaker at the national launch of Organ Donor Awareness week.

She will also be a guest speaker and sharing her story at the Gift of Life charity ball at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Cork on November 14.

Niamh started running around two years ago and quickly became hooked.

She completed the Dublin half marathon in September, her second half marathon, as part of her preparation for the full 26.2-mile challenge.