As Westmeath prepares to launch Organ Donor Awareness Week on Thursday, for one Mullingar woman, news of a new kidney would be music to her ears.
Frances Little (55), a resident of Grange Village, is urgently waiting on the call to confirm a match has been found for a kidney transplant, having spent the last eight years on dialysis.
“When I was 20 years old I was hospitalised with pneumonia and suffered a pain in my side. Routine blood tests revealed I had polycystic kidney disease. I was advised that my kidney function might never deteriorate but there was a chance it might over the years,” she explained.
Just over eight years ago, Frances began to experience the feeling of always being cold and tired and lost her appetite. She attended nephrologist, Eoin Bergin at the Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore and it was discovered she was in renal failure and she commenced haemodialysis treatment immediately.
Frances attends the dialysis unit in Tullamore three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) for three hours at a time. On her dialysis days she leaves her house at 8am and is usually home by lunchtime.
“The dialysis is working well for me, but I feel cold for the day after each treatment,” she explained.
Frances is married to Martin and they have three grown up daughters, Paula, Claire and Jenni. Her father spent the last five years of his life receiving dialysis treatment.
“I would love for the call to come, but I realise it’s going to be difficult for me because I have anti bodies in my blood. At the moment I’m happy to be healthy and able to enjoy life, but obviously that call would be very significant if it happens,” she said.
Frances is an active member of the Westmeath Branch of the Irish Kidney Association, which will launch Organ Donor Awareness Week on Thursday in the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar at 12.30pm. The branch will be busy organising volunteers to promote the importance of organ donation and how it can save lives.
“They say it’s the gift of life and there’s no better way to describe it. I would urge everyone to carry an organ donor card and if they want any further information they are welcome to get in touch with the Westmeath Branch,” said Frances.
Organ Donor Awareness Week runs from 28 March to 4 April.
