Farming is a way of life grounded in long hours and hard work, but beef farmer, William O’Halloran experiences an added pressure. His day-to-day duties on the family farm in Anglesborough at the foot of the Galtee Mountains in Co Limerick not only revolves around cattle and marts but also machines and hospital appointments.
William lives with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a hereditary condition where fluid-filled cysts slowly develop in the kidneys, often not causing serious problems until adulthood, when it can lead to kidney damage and failure.
“Kidney disease has been in our family as long as I remember,” says William. “My father [Tom] lived with PKD and when I was 16, myself and my two sisters Noreen and Brid-Ann were all tested and diagnosed.
“When I was young, I remember dad going in and out of hospital all the time. He received his first transplant in 1990 which lasted three years until it was rejected. He got a second one in 1996, and that lasted nine great years. He spent the last 15 years of his life on dialysis [a medical treatment that performs the function of kidneys] and he passed away in 2020.”
Tragically, William’s mother died of cancer 15 weeks after the passing of his father. “She went downhill very quickly after dad, it was a tough year,” he recalls.
William and his two sisters are at different points in their kidney disease journeys. His eldest sister, Noreen, had a transplant in 2013 and his other sister, Brid-Ann is due to start dialysis soon.
William tells Irish Country Living that in the last two years, his own health has declined and he has been in and out of hospital with kidney infections.
“I got very sick in November 2023 while I was working on a dairy farm in Lattin, Co Tipperary. I had very little energy. I was just very tired. I went into hospital and I was there for two months. My kidney was so enlarged that it was pushing up against my stomach.
“I had the kidney removal [nephrectomy] in January 2024. I was so weak. I was on a feeding tube. I had lost a load
of weight.”
Life-changing transplant
Fortunately, William’s operation was a success and he began dialysis that month. However, he was not put on the transplant list until December 2024 because he had to have gallbladder surgery in October.
While he waits for a transplant, William’s life is very restricted. “I do dialysis on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I’m up at half five, I get picked up at six o’clock in the morning by a taxi. It’s an hour up to Cork University Hospital. They attach me to this machine for four hours.
“After four hours, the taxi collects me and it’s around one o’clock when I’m home. I go straight to bed then because I just have no energy and I suffer from a lot of headaches.”
Dialysis is a very intense treatment, with a machine doing in four hours what the kidney does in 48 hours. William describes the days of dialysis as “gone”, explaining that he does not have the energy to work on the farm nor play with his three-and-a-half-year-old son, Darragh.
“He’s really sweet and I would love to go out and play with him, but I just can’t. It’s chronic fatigue. I remember when dad used to be like that. He used to come home and just lie down for hours and I understand now why he was so tired. It’s very tough to go to hospital, come home and then up and down off the tractor.”
William with his sisters, Brid-Ann and Noreen, all who have Polycystic Kidney Disease. Noreen received a kidney transplant in 2013.
Since William needs dialysis three days per week, he cannot go on holiday and is on a strict renal diet. “I can only drink one litre of fluid per day, including milk,” he says. William also avoids foods with high potassium, like bananas, mushrooms and potatoes.
Managing his condition would be impossible without his wife Annette who William describes as “absolutely brilliant”. He adds that he has great neighbours and family, and credits the Irish Kidney Association for their support through the years.
William and his family have been through so much. Without question, a new kidney would transform William’s quality of life. “I would have way more energy, I wouldn’t be restricted to a renal diet, no more fluid restriction, I’d have more time for to spend with Annette and Darragh and be able to get back to work and no more dialysis sessions,” he explains. “Also, I love farming and getting a transplant would give me more energy to dedicate time to the farm. Dad loved farming and it would be nice to continue to farm as dad did.”
William has seen first-hand the “immense impact” of a new kidney for his late father and his sister Noreen, who is “doing brilliant now”.
“She’s still got the same kidney over 10 years later. She’s working full time, she goes on holidays, she has more energy.”
“I hope more people understand how important organ donation is,” he goes on. “I would urge people to talk to their loved one about their wishes. Have that conversation, carry the organ donor card, let people know what you’d want because it can completely change someone’s future. Hopefully I can get a transplant soon.”
Policy landscape
There are no specific figures on waiting lists for organ donation, however, at any one time in Ireland approximately 600 people are on the waiting list for organ transplants (heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas), according to HSE Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI) preliminary figures released in December 2024. Approximately 500 of these are on waiting list for a kidney transplant, just like William.
In 2024, the HSE OTDI reported 263 organ transplants, of which 175 were kidney transplants. This is a small decrease from the total 282 organ transplants (including 191 kidney) in 2023.
February 2024 saw the first piece of domestic legislation signed into law to address the area of organ donation for transplantation, the Human Tissue Act.
There are many aspects to the new legislation, including the introduction of altruistic donation (which will allow you to donate to a person that you don’t know) and a soft opt-out system of consent for organ donation, under which individuals are presumed to have consented to organ donation unless they have explicitly opted out on a register.
At the time of writing, the timing of the introduction of the provision for an Opt Out register is not clear but it is expected to be announced during Organ Donor Awareness Week.
Catherine Motherway, clinical lead at the HSE’s Organ Donation Transplant Ireland and formerly head of ICU at University Hospital Limerick.
Catherine Motherway, clinical lead at the HSE’s Organ Donation Transplant Ireland and formerly Head of ICU at University Hospital Limerick, tells Irish Country Living how this new legislation changes things for organ donors.
“Only a small number of people [approximately 1-2%] die in the specific medical circumstances where organ donation is possible,” explains Catherine. “You have to die prematurely and in very specific circumstances [eg: significant brain injury] in the intensive care unit.
“The new Human Tissue Act assumes that if you haven’t objected to organ donation in life, you wanted to donate your organs,” says Catherine.
Family consent remains a key requirement for organ donation. “We still ask your family [for consent], that’s really important. If a family say you would’ve objected, then we won’t be doing it.”
An official online opt-out register records the details of those who choose not to be considered as an organ donor. “If you signed the Opt Out register when you were alive, the family won’t be consulted and that decision is final,” adds Catherine.
“There is a lot of misunderstanding about the law. There is this perception that the State is going to take your organs but they’re not. They’re always going to check with your family, which is why it’s really important that every one of us should have a conversation with those nearest and dearest to us about what we would want were we to die prematurely of some sudden event.”
Catherine also advises getting one of the Irish Kidney Association organ donor cards as an ice-breaker for the conversation.
William soon hopes to be one of the 2,823 people in Ireland living with a functioning kidney transplant (HSE ODTI, 2024).
This new piece of legislation could help to increase the pool of donors and reduce waiting times for a transplant, but Catherine stresses that it cannot succeed without investment in the system. She adds that organ donation is not only of enormous benefit to the transplant recipients but also donor families.
“The actual act of donating organs can give donor families huge pride at a time when everything is black and dark and horrible. In ICU, you can see it brings some good out of what is a very bad situation. It’s an enormous gift.”
Organ Donor Awareness Week will take place from 10-17 May and is organised by the Irish Kidney Association in association with Organ Donation Transplant Ireland.
In Ireland, at any one time there are approximately 600 people on the transplant list for all organs.
Approximately 500 of these patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list.
At end of 2024, 2,581 people are receiving dialysis treatment. Just one fifth of all dialysis patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list.
Organ Donor Awareness Week, organised by Irish Kidney Association and Organ Donation Transplant Ireland, takes place from 10-17 May. The annual campaign aims to promote a national conversation about the role of organ donation and transplantation in Ireland.
To find out more, visit ika.ie/donorweek.
Farming is a way of life grounded in long hours and hard work, but beef farmer, William O’Halloran experiences an added pressure. His day-to-day duties on the family farm in Anglesborough at the foot of the Galtee Mountains in Co Limerick not only revolves around cattle and marts but also machines and hospital appointments.
William lives with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a hereditary condition where fluid-filled cysts slowly develop in the kidneys, often not causing serious problems until adulthood, when it can lead to kidney damage and failure.
“Kidney disease has been in our family as long as I remember,” says William. “My father [Tom] lived with PKD and when I was 16, myself and my two sisters Noreen and Brid-Ann were all tested and diagnosed.
“When I was young, I remember dad going in and out of hospital all the time. He received his first transplant in 1990 which lasted three years until it was rejected. He got a second one in 1996, and that lasted nine great years. He spent the last 15 years of his life on dialysis [a medical treatment that performs the function of kidneys] and he passed away in 2020.”
Tragically, William’s mother died of cancer 15 weeks after the passing of his father. “She went downhill very quickly after dad, it was a tough year,” he recalls.
William and his two sisters are at different points in their kidney disease journeys. His eldest sister, Noreen, had a transplant in 2013 and his other sister, Brid-Ann is due to start dialysis soon.
William tells Irish Country Living that in the last two years, his own health has declined and he has been in and out of hospital with kidney infections.
“I got very sick in November 2023 while I was working on a dairy farm in Lattin, Co Tipperary. I had very little energy. I was just very tired. I went into hospital and I was there for two months. My kidney was so enlarged that it was pushing up against my stomach.
“I had the kidney removal [nephrectomy] in January 2024. I was so weak. I was on a feeding tube. I had lost a load
of weight.”
Life-changing transplant
Fortunately, William’s operation was a success and he began dialysis that month. However, he was not put on the transplant list until December 2024 because he had to have gallbladder surgery in October.
While he waits for a transplant, William’s life is very restricted. “I do dialysis on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I’m up at half five, I get picked up at six o’clock in the morning by a taxi. It’s an hour up to Cork University Hospital. They attach me to this machine for four hours.
“After four hours, the taxi collects me and it’s around one o’clock when I’m home. I go straight to bed then because I just have no energy and I suffer from a lot of headaches.”
Dialysis is a very intense treatment, with a machine doing in four hours what the kidney does in 48 hours. William describes the days of dialysis as “gone”, explaining that he does not have the energy to work on the farm nor play with his three-and-a-half-year-old son, Darragh.
“He’s really sweet and I would love to go out and play with him, but I just can’t. It’s chronic fatigue. I remember when dad used to be like that. He used to come home and just lie down for hours and I understand now why he was so tired. It’s very tough to go to hospital, come home and then up and down off the tractor.”
William with his sisters, Brid-Ann and Noreen, all who have Polycystic Kidney Disease. Noreen received a kidney transplant in 2013.
Since William needs dialysis three days per week, he cannot go on holiday and is on a strict renal diet. “I can only drink one litre of fluid per day, including milk,” he says. William also avoids foods with high potassium, like bananas, mushrooms and potatoes.
Managing his condition would be impossible without his wife Annette who William describes as “absolutely brilliant”. He adds that he has great neighbours and family, and credits the Irish Kidney Association for their support through the years.
William and his family have been through so much. Without question, a new kidney would transform William’s quality of life. “I would have way more energy, I wouldn’t be restricted to a renal diet, no more fluid restriction, I’d have more time for to spend with Annette and Darragh and be able to get back to work and no more dialysis sessions,” he explains. “Also, I love farming and getting a transplant would give me more energy to dedicate time to the farm. Dad loved farming and it would be nice to continue to farm as dad did.”
William has seen first-hand the “immense impact” of a new kidney for his late father and his sister Noreen, who is “doing brilliant now”.
“She’s still got the same kidney over 10 years later. She’s working full time, she goes on holidays, she has more energy.”
“I hope more people understand how important organ donation is,” he goes on. “I would urge people to talk to their loved one about their wishes. Have that conversation, carry the organ donor card, let people know what you’d want because it can completely change someone’s future. Hopefully I can get a transplant soon.”
Policy landscape
There are no specific figures on waiting lists for organ donation, however, at any one time in Ireland approximately 600 people are on the waiting list for organ transplants (heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas), according to HSE Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI) preliminary figures released in December 2024. Approximately 500 of these are on waiting list for a kidney transplant, just like William.
In 2024, the HSE OTDI reported 263 organ transplants, of which 175 were kidney transplants. This is a small decrease from the total 282 organ transplants (including 191 kidney) in 2023.
February 2024 saw the first piece of domestic legislation signed into law to address the area of organ donation for transplantation, the Human Tissue Act.
There are many aspects to the new legislation, including the introduction of altruistic donation (which will allow you to donate to a person that you don’t know) and a soft opt-out system of consent for organ donation, under which individuals are presumed to have consented to organ donation unless they have explicitly opted out on a register.
At the time of writing, the timing of the introduction of the provision for an Opt Out register is not clear but it is expected to be announced during Organ Donor Awareness Week.
Catherine Motherway, clinical lead at the HSE’s Organ Donation Transplant Ireland and formerly head of ICU at University Hospital Limerick.
Catherine Motherway, clinical lead at the HSE’s Organ Donation Transplant Ireland and formerly Head of ICU at University Hospital Limerick, tells Irish Country Living how this new legislation changes things for organ donors.
“Only a small number of people [approximately 1-2%] die in the specific medical circumstances where organ donation is possible,” explains Catherine. “You have to die prematurely and in very specific circumstances [eg: significant brain injury] in the intensive care unit.
“The new Human Tissue Act assumes that if you haven’t objected to organ donation in life, you wanted to donate your organs,” says Catherine.
Family consent remains a key requirement for organ donation. “We still ask your family [for consent], that’s really important. If a family say you would’ve objected, then we won’t be doing it.”
An official online opt-out register records the details of those who choose not to be considered as an organ donor. “If you signed the Opt Out register when you were alive, the family won’t be consulted and that decision is final,” adds Catherine.
“There is a lot of misunderstanding about the law. There is this perception that the State is going to take your organs but they’re not. They’re always going to check with your family, which is why it’s really important that every one of us should have a conversation with those nearest and dearest to us about what we would want were we to die prematurely of some sudden event.”
Catherine also advises getting one of the Irish Kidney Association organ donor cards as an ice-breaker for the conversation.
William soon hopes to be one of the 2,823 people in Ireland living with a functioning kidney transplant (HSE ODTI, 2024).
This new piece of legislation could help to increase the pool of donors and reduce waiting times for a transplant, but Catherine stresses that it cannot succeed without investment in the system. She adds that organ donation is not only of enormous benefit to the transplant recipients but also donor families.
“The actual act of donating organs can give donor families huge pride at a time when everything is black and dark and horrible. In ICU, you can see it brings some good out of what is a very bad situation. It’s an enormous gift.”
Organ Donor Awareness Week will take place from 10-17 May and is organised by the Irish Kidney Association in association with Organ Donation Transplant Ireland.
In Ireland, at any one time there are approximately 600 people on the transplant list for all organs.
Approximately 500 of these patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list.
At end of 2024, 2,581 people are receiving dialysis treatment. Just one fifth of all dialysis patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list.
Organ Donor Awareness Week, organised by Irish Kidney Association and Organ Donation Transplant Ireland, takes place from 10-17 May. The annual campaign aims to promote a national conversation about the role of organ donation and transplantation in Ireland.
To find out more, visit ika.ie/donorweek.
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