Dairy farmer, Ciarán McDonald played sport while spending long hours on his 350-stock farm, but little did he think he would require a lifesaving double lung transplant.
He began to feel very unfit in 2018, which bothered him as he was used to being brimful of energy.
In the same year, Ciarán caught a flu virus which caused him to become very sick, requiring admission to the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore.
It became apparent to medics that there was an issue with his lungs and he was transferred to St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin.
The Crossabeg, Co. Wexford man who farms in Ballycumber, underwent the double lung transplant at the age of 58.
Ciarán who is married to Teresa with two adult children, Triona and Christopher, living nearby, and one daughter Roberta, who lives abroad working in the agricultural industry, underwent the transplant in the early autumn of 2021 during the height of Covid.
The first indications that Ciarán’s lungs could be vulnerable was in 2010, and in 2015 ahead of operations for varicose veins and a hernia.
Up until the point of his transfer to St Vincent’s Hospital, Ciarán said he never really felt sick, just tired and sluggish.
Tests revealed he had only 26% lung function and he was referred to the Mater Hospital’s transplant team for assessment to go on the transplant waiting list for either a single or double lung transplant.
Double lung transplant
By Christmas 2019, he was accepted onto the transplant waiting list. This wasn’t before a battery of medical tests and some hesitation on Ciarán’s part about his willingness to accept a donor lung/s from a deceased donor.
A few people he had known on transplant waiting lists had died, so he was aware of the reality of his situation, but he was determined to remain positive and not dwell on his health condition.
For 13 months, the 6″4 tall Ciarán was on 24-hour oxygen supply, carrying his life saving oxygen supply around on his back in a knapsack.
He credits his manual farm work for helping to keep him fit enough to undergo a major transplant operation. He was mentally set for a transplant and was prepared for the fact that if even if he did get called, the operation might not proceed.
On a Saturday night in the early autumn of 2021, he received a call from the Mater Hospital to travel to Dublin as a deceased donor’s lungs had become available. It was to be his only call for a transplant as it proceeded and it was a success, with no rejection.
Within four weeks of his transplant, his lung function was back up to 88%. However, the road to recovery wasn’t smooth.
Ciarán was unfortunate to catch a virus which was a huge setback as his health declined rapidly. He had to be peg fed to help him to get over the setback of the virus as well as the healing process of the operation.
After a long hospital stay, he was allowed home on high level antibiotics. It took almost a year to recover post-transplant because of the setback but he describes how he felt after Christmas 2022 as being “on top of the world”.
Ciarán said that while he will always be cautious as he is on lifetime immunosuppressant medication, he feels that his life has been not only saved by the act of a selfless donor and their family, but his quality of life has vastly improved.
He is back working on the farm, while in his spare time he revels in spending time with his wife and family, including his grandchildren, who he described as a “pleasure to be around and a big ball of fun”, one of who was born this past year.
He said: “Were it not for my transplant, I would not have been blessed to meet her. To be able to breathe unaided is something I cherish and will never take for granted. The future is looking great and I have my donor to thank for this.
“The medical nursing and transplant team at the Mater Hospital have been exceptional in the care they have given me. My wife Teresa and my family have also been a rock of support and I’d like to thank my neighbours and friends for their unstinting support to me and my family.”
Ciarán is behind the Irish Kidney Association’s campaign ‘Don’t Leave Your Loved Ones in Doubt, Share Your Wishes About Organ Donation.’
At any one time in this country, there are between 550 and 600 people on waiting lists for organ transplants including heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas. More information is on the Irish Kidney Association’s website.