The wonderful legacy of a two-year-old Irish girl, who tragically lost her life two years ago, is that she has been able to save the lives of four other people through organ donation, according to her mother. Hannah Kealy of Timahoe, County Laois, passed away in a sad accident in July 2022, prompting her parents, Marie and Denis, to choose organ donation.
The selfless decision impacted several lives favourably. “Our priority was that even one family could be spared experiencing our tragedy. This alone justified our decision,” shared Mrs Kealy. “Our beloved Hannah was instrumental in saving the lives of four people – a young boy received her heart, a newborn was given part of her liver, another young boy received her small intestine and a section of her colon, and a young mother was given her kidneys.
Indeed, Hannah turned out to be the miracle that these families had awaited for so long. This thought often provides comfort to us. Imagining parts of our child functioning in other human bodies can be an uncanny feeling,” said her mother.
Mrs Kealy divulged these meaningful insights at the Organ Donor Awareness Week event in Dublin. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly highlighted his ambition to incorporate state’s new organ donation policy of presumed consent by year-end, unless individuals have indicated their objection prior to their demise.
“The Human Tissue Act has already been ratified and got the Presidential signature. There is much preparatory work to do. However, I have instructed my officials to aim for all of our default statuses to transition to organ donors by this year’s end,” Mr Donnelly informed journalists.
“Hannah’s memory perseveres through the recipients of her organs and their families as well as numerous other people she has influenced”, Mrs Kealy added. “The agonising decision that no parent would want to confront, we hope that Hannah’s tale will communicate the crucial role of organ donation.”
Mrs Kealy also revealed that the organ receivers, while unknown to them, have sent gratitude letters to them which has “certainly aided” them.
The Irish Kidney Association reports that there are roughly 600 individuals on organ transplant waiting lists at any given time. In the last year, there were 282 operations involving organ transplants in Ireland, an increase of 32 from the preceding year.
Glasnevin resident Christine Kelly, 72, has had a kidney functioning for the longest period ever recorded, having received it from her elder sister Mary in 1974. She believes that her sister Mary, who passed away in 2000 due to breast cancer, is still with her in a sense through the organ donation. Christine regarded her relationship with Mary as nearly twin-like; they were close and neighbouring residents. She showed immense appreciation for the invaluable gift from Mary.
Carol Moore, the head of the Irish Kidney Association, stated that unless individuals choose to opt out, they could be viewed as potential organ donors. Nevertheless, the ultimate decision would lie with the families. Moore also highlighted the Human Tissue Act which would, for the first instance, enable altruistic living donation in Ireland wherein the donor and recipient are unknown to each other.