Mayo families participated in the launch of Organ Donor Awareness Week which was held in the Mansion House, Dublin, on Tuesday of this week, organised by the Irish Kidney Association in association with Organ Donation Transplant Ireland.
A video from the launch includes presentations by 23 year old Matthew McNeive - a kidney transplant recipient from Knock - and Chloe Grier (21 ) from Claremorris - whose mother was an organ donor. The video can be viewed at www.ika.ie/donorweek2022 Matthew McNeive's presentation is at 20 minutes 50 seconds into the video while Chloe Grier's presentation is at the one hour 14 minute mark.
At the launch, Carol Moore, Chief Executive of the Irish Kidney Association, stated: "The ripple effect of active citizenship in your decision to say Yes to organ donation is an amazing legacy to gift to the recipients, their families, your own family, and society at large.
"This was evident at today’s launch when we listened to presentations by the daughter of a deceased donor whose family gain comfort in their grief that their mother gave the gift of life to others.
"We heard from four grateful transplant recipients whose lives were saved by the donation of a heart, lung, liver and combined kidney and pancreas respectively. We also listened to a young man who is currently on kidney dialysis and hoping for a transplant which will vastly improve his quality of life."
In his speech delivered via video to officially launch the 2022 campaign, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, announced that additional funding of over €1 million has been allocated to transplant services this year, which he said would further develop infrastructure and equipment needed to meet demands following the introduction of the opt out system for organ donation as part of the Human Tissue Bill.
He said the enactment of the Bill has been a priority for him and the government. Minister Donnelly also said: "I am grateful to the donors, their families, and all the staff who help make this life-saving gift to others possible. I am committed to further developing our organ donation and transplantation system and building on the progress we have achieved so far.
"It is important that we take this opportunity during Organ Donor Awareness Week to raise awareness of the life-saving role of organ donation, and the improvements in the quality of life it brings to recipients and their families."
Speaking on behalf of Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI ) was its Clinical Lead, Dr Catherine Motherway, who is a Consultant in Intensive Care & Anaesthesia at Limerick University Hospital. She said: "Organ Donor Awareness Week is a time when we honour and thank all donors, both living and deceased, who, by their actions have given the gift of life to others.
"Every year those of us who work in intensive care and transplantation are humbled by the generosity of our donors and their families. To our deceased donors and their families, in the midst of great sorrow, you find it in yourselves to think of others. Thank you. The generosity of organ donors is the bedrock of our transplant programs.
"Organ donation saves and transforms the lives of our transplant recipients. This week in particular we encourage our community to speak to each other about their wishes around organ donation."
In explaining the theme for the annual campaign this year IKA Chief Executive Carol Moore, said: "The key message of the campaign is to Share Your Wishes.
"The traditional Organ Donor Card and the digital organ donor card app are there as an ‘icebreaker’ to get the organ donation conversation started. The card, or app, is a symbol of your wish to donate but is not a legal document nor are personal details recorded. Downloading the digital donor card App or requesting a donor card though the IKA website (www.ika.ie/get-a-donor-card ), or having Code 115 on your driver’s licence, is a prompt to assist the approach to family members to discuss organ donation wishes."
