Two transplant recipients from Athlone, together with family and friends, gathered at the scenic Burgess Park in Athlone, on the banks of the River Shannon, for a photocall to highlight the Irish Kidney Association’s third virtual Run for a Life (www.ika.ie/runforalife ), a family fun run which will culminate on Saturday, May 28.
This year a 7x7 Challenge has been introduced to the Run for a Life event to shine a light on the profound life affirming act of organ donation and that one organ donor can save seven lives.
Promoting the event were local kidney transplant recipients Phelim O’Neill and Cathy Smyth who both underwent their transplants at Beaumont Hospital.
Phelim, formerly a goalkeeper with Clann na nGael who also played for Roscommon, was accompanied by his wife Tracy and their two-and-a-half-year-old twins Cára and Ken. Phelim is enjoying good health because of the kidney transplant he received from a deceased donor 26 years ago. In the following years he got to know Tracy, who worked at the pharmacy where he got his anti-rejection medication.
Cathy Smyth is enjoying the successful kidney transplant she received eight years ago (also from a deceased donor ).
Cathy suffered kidney failure after the birth of her son Donnacha ten years ago. Cathy’s husband Ger Harrison and Donnacha also joined her at the photocall.
Also present at the Run for a Life launch was nine-year-old Caeden Geoghegan with his mother Denise Geoghegan from Mountmellick, who, following two false calls, received her lifesaving heart transplant at the Mater Hospital in Dublin in 2020. Denise’s friends Karen Ravenhill from Tullamore, Co Offaly and Claire Gillespie from Lecarrow, showed up for the photocall and will be among seven friends taking part in Run for a Life.
Joining them was 22-year-old liver transplant recipient Tomas Caffrey from Holycross, in Co Tipperary who has just completed his third level education at TUS:Athlone where he now works.
Like Denise, Tomas also underwent his transplant in 2020 during the global pandemic, in the liver transplant unit at St Vincent’s University Hospital.
“The Run for a Life event is a fun way for people of all ages and levels of fitness to come together (virtually ) in solidarity around the need to raise awareness of the importance, and success, of organ donation for transplantation. It is also about raising funds to support the work we do.
“Waiting for a transplant is an uncertain time and events like this are about letting those on the transplant pool, and their families, know that they are not alone. Every person who gets an organ donor card and shares their wishes with their family is giving hope to those who are waiting for ‘the call’.
“We encourage people from all around Ireland and beyond to take part in this fun and life affirming event and to post their photos on social media, using #RFAL2022,” Colin White, National Advocacy and Projects Manager for the Irish Kidney Association, stated.
