Pictures: Conor McCabe
Members of two families of deceased organ donors from Kerry were among participants recorded at the Irish Kidney Association’s annual service of remembrance and thanksgiving which will be broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player next Sunday, November 17 at 11am.
An estimated 1,600 people, including hundreds of families of deceased donors and transplant recipients, attended the service in the Church of the Holy Child, Whitehall, Dublin 9.
Joan Hussey, from Kilflynn, read a reflection watched by her husband, Pat. Their son, David, was just 11-years-old when he died in 1990 and his family takes consolation in his legacy having donated five organs and learning over two decades later that one of the recipients, who was just an eight-year-old at the time of transplant, now has a family of his own.
Posters on the theme of organ donation, prepared by second level students, were displayed on the church walls, emphasising the message of generosity and life.
Carrying one of the posters in a procession, was Brandon resident Brian Gallagher, now living in Brandon, whose son Cian was just 26 when he passed and became an organ donor saving three people’s lives.
Also attending from Brandon was Elsie Moore, the national honourary treasurer of the Irish Kidney Association.
This unique service is an important occasion for remembering deceased loved ones who have, in their death, given the gift of life to others. It’s an opportunity for grateful transplant recipients, their families and the wider organ donation and transplant community including Organ Donation Transplant Ireland, organ donor coordinators and transplant coordinators, and other healthcare professionals, to give thanks and pay tribute to organ donors for their precious gifts of life.
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