An extraordinary series of events unfolded for a family spread across north and east Cork and Mayo in 2023, culminating in three-in-a-row kidney transplants in the space of six months, including one for a north Cork farmer.
Margaret Fitzgerald, who is a 70-year-old grandmother, lives in Buttevent in north Cork, and her 49-year-old son Michael Fitzgerald, based in Carrigaline, received kidney transplants from deceased donors only seven weeks apart.
Margaret’s was in the first week in November and Michael’s was in late September.
What made their journey even more extraordinary, was that less than six months before, Margaret’s nephew, Joe Cott, who farms in north Cork, underwent a living donor kidney transplant, thanks to his kidney donor brother, Michael, at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.
A hereditary condition called polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which tragically took the life of Margaret’s mother Elizabeth was inherited by two of her six children, including Margaret and an older brother.
Last year began on a sad note, as Margaret’s older brother, Joseph Cott, also from Buttevant, who had received a kidney transplant over three decades ago, died in March 2023, aged 77, following a short illness.
Despite their sorrow, his wife, Ita, adult children, and Margaret’s family, found solace in the knowledge that Joseph had lived a full and healthy life, and enjoyed being a loving father, and devoted grandfather, made possible by his deceased kidney donor.
Before he died, Joseph had received the good news that his son, Joe Cott, would soon receive a donor kidney from his other son, Michael.
Joe, a farmer in Ballyclough in north Cork, had only been on dialysis for a few weeks before his younger brother, Michael Cott, who lives in Claremorris, Co. Mayo, said he was happy to donate a kidney to him.
The brothers were delighted when it was confirmed that they were a ‘perfect match’ and that the operations could proceed.
On April 24, 2023, Joe and Michael Cott underwent their living donor kidney transplant operations at Beaumont Hospital, a poignant outcome that brought comfort to their families amid their bereavement.
As Margaret and her son Michael Fitzgerald navigated the complexities of their kidney failure, fate intervened in unexpected ways.
In late September, Margaret’s son, Michael, received an unexpected call to travel to Beaumont Hospital for a kidney transplant. Margaret described how overjoyed she was to witness her son’s transformation and new lease of life made possible by the family of a deceased donor.
There were more surprises in store for the Cork family. Just under seven weeks later, Margaret herself received the call for a transplant in the first week of November 2023, a twist of fate that left her reeling with disbelief and gratitude that she and her son had received the gift of life in rapid succession.
With each successful transplant, the family’s spirits soared, uplifted by the generosity of their donors and the promise of a brighter healthier future.
Margaret, her son Michael, and his cousin, Joe Cott, embraced their newfound leases of life with deep gratitude.
Michael said: “The longevity of my brother, Joseph’s, transplant which lasted over three decades, and the incredible quick succession of transplants our family has received this year leaves us full of hope and gratitude.
“Having two successful transplants for my nephew and son close together was so unexpected, but I was in total disbelief when I also got called for a transplant just seven weeks after my son’s. I had resigned myself to having to wait for a few years and was just happy that my son and nephew’s transplants were a success.”
Michael’s kidney function had reduced to below 10%, and he was just about to commence dialysis treatment when he got called for his transplant.
“Although I had not been well and felt exhausted for a very long time, I had no idea just how much difference a transplant would make.
“Immediately, my energy soared, and it still amazes me how simple things in life are so much easier now, like having boundless energy to spend a day shopping or spending time with my grandchildren.
“I could not believe it when I got called and when I woke up after my transplant operation, it almost felt magical – a total transformation. The transplant is life-changing,” Michael said.
Kidney transplant
Michael added that he could not put into words the extent of his gratitude to the family of his deceased donor for transforming his life and freeing him up from sickness and being tied to dialysis which he had to have twice a week for 21 months at Cork University Hospital (CUH.)
Joe Cott said: “I was very lucky that I didn’t have to go on the transplant waiting list and that my younger brother, Michael, stepped up and it turned out he was the perfect match.”
The Fitzgeralds and Cotts are grateful for the support they received from the Irish Kidney Association and the medical and nursing teams at both CUH and Beaumont Hospital throughout their health journeys.
They are staunch advocates of organ donor awareness and are sharing their uplifting story in gratitude to organ donors and to support Organ Donor Awareness Week 2024, which runs until today, (April, 27).
Organ Donor Awareness Week 2024 is organised by the Irish Kidney Association in association with Organ Donation Transplant Ireland.
The Irish Kidney Association is asking the public to use Organ Donor Awareness Week as a prompt to have a family discussion about organ donation.
By requesting an organ donor card, you are letting the 600+ people, and their families, who are currently waiting for ‘the call’ that there are people out there who are thinking of them, according to the association.
Speaking at the national launch, chief executive of the Irish Kidney Association, Carol Moore, said it looks forward to provisions within the Human Tissue Act being commenced.
She said: “We know that the Department of Health and HSE are working hard on this and hopefully will announce a future date for the commencement of the Act shortly.
“When the Act is implemented, people who do not wish to donate their organs can opt out, and in these cases, their families will not be approached in the event of their untimely death.
“The Act will also allow, for the first time, for altruistic living donation in Ireland, where the donor does not know the recipient.”
Clinical lead at Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland, HSE Dr. Catherine Motherway, said that organ donation is a gift of enormous magnitude that transforms the lives of transplant recipients and their families.
Dr. Motherway said: “For many, it literally is the gift of life. Organ donors are celebrated and cherished publicly every year during Organ Donation Awareness Week.
“We hear the stories of lives saved, the joy of new beginnings, being able to work, play sport, raise children, and often the relief and joy of breathing easily without machines.
“For our deceased donor families, we know that the decision to donate organs of their loved one can bring hope and some solace in the midst of grief and we too will listen to their stories, and the pride and joy that they have in their loved one’s life and final act of immense kindness.
“Organ donors save lives. In this very tormented and unsettled world of ours, they are a ray of pure goodness showing us the very best of human nature, people giving and sharing with others.”
A total of 282 organ transplant operations were carried out in Ireland in 2023, 32 more transplants than in 2022.
This activity could not have taken place but for the generosity of the families of 95 deceased donors and 30 living kidney donors. In 2023, 54 liver transplants and six pancreas transplants took place at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
Last year saw an increase in the number of kidney transplants taking place at Beaumont Hospital at 191.
While 161 of these kidney transplants were from deceased donors, which was an increase of 31 from the previous year, there were also 30 living kidney donor transplants last year, three less than in 2022.
On December 31, 2023, there were 2,502 people in Ireland with end-stage kidney failure undergoing dialysis treatment, but only approximately one-fifth – around 500 people – of these are on the kidney transplant waiting list.
Individuals who wish to support organ donation by sharing their wishes with their loved ones are encouraged to keep the reminders of their decision available by carrying the organ donor card, permitting Code 115 to be included on their driver’s license, or having the ‘digital organ donor card’ app on their smartphone.