Michael Fennessy, who had to postpone his wedding to receive his first transplant at the age of 27, said he was “deeply moved” when his goddaughter Katie Daughen offered to be tested to become his potential donor when his health declined last year.
He said it is an act he will be “forever grateful for”, recalling how his niece was just seven years old when she was chosen to be the flowergirl at his wedding more than three decades ago.
“I was 27 when I got my first transplant. I was really struggling with my health at the time. Carmel and I had a wedding date set, the invitations were issued, but my health was in decline,” Mr Fennessy said.
“Then, out of the blue, we got the call to say a deceased donor kidney had become available and this was just six days before we were due to marry. It changed everything. Carmel and I decided to postpone the wedding. We didn’t know if the operation would be a success or how long I would need to recover.”
He said his niece, who had her dress ready for the ceremony, was “so disappointed” at the time, but she had her chance to be a flower girl when the wedding was rescheduled to a few months later, when Mr Fennessy was strong enough.
“When we did get married, it was even more special as I had a new lease of life,” Mr Fennessy said. “Katie got to be our flowergirl after all, and now, all these years later, she’s the one who’s given me this second chance at life. It’s almost like things have come full circle.”
Katie Daughen was flowergirl at Michael and Carmel Fennessy’s wedding
Mr Fennessy said he has “always been close” with his niece, adding: “Katie is both my niece and my goddaughter from before my children were born. When she offered to be tested, I was deeply moved. It’s not something you can ever take for granted.”
She was one of several family members who came forward to be screened for a living donation, including both of her brothers and Mr Fennessy’s own three children, but she was the one ultimately deemed to be a match.
“Her generosity is beyond words. I’ll never be able to thank her enough,” he said.
Mr Fennessy received his first transplant from a deceased donor, an anniversary he marks every year with his family.
“It’s an anniversary we’ve always honoured with a mass and in other special ways,” he said.
“I’ve been given a second chance again. To get 32 years from the first kidney was a blessing from a deceased donor family. And now, to have Katie give me another chance with renewed health, it’s something I’ll be forever grateful for.”
He received a kidney transplant at Beaumont Hospital last December.
Last month Ms Daughen flew out to the US to begin a new job and make her new home there after working in the civil service in Ireland.
Michael Fennessy and his wife Carmel
Last year, 263 organ transplants were carried out as a result of the generosity of 84 deceased donors and 30 living kidney donors.
The figure included 175 kidney transplants, 53 liver transplants, 16 heart transplants, 15 lung transplants and four pancreas transplants.
There are currently 675 people on transplant waiting lists, with over 500 of these waiting for a kidney transplant. Over 2,500 people in Ireland with end-stage kidney disease undergo dialysis treatment.
The Irish Kidney Association, with the support of Organ Donation Transplant Ireland, is currently raising awareness with Organ Donor Awareness Week, which continues until Saturday.
The association is calling on people to talk about organ donation with their loved ones and to request an organ donor card.
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