Temple Street celebrates 100th kidney transplant

Children who have had kidney transplants at Temple Street Children's Hospital gathered at the hospital to celebrate the 100th such procedure since the national paediatric transplant programme started there in 2003.

Among the children who have had life-transforming transplants was four-year-old Kate Burke from Claremorris, Co Mayo, who had her transplant when she was three-and-a-half.

Kate was lucky in that she did not have to travel for dialysis before her transplant, according to her mum. Runagh Burke said that the family were able to do Kate’s dialysis at home each evening.

Salem Alhag (12) from Dublin, who received the 100th transplant at the hospital, was also celebrating, as was Courtney Kealy (18) from Slane, Co Meath, who received the first kidney transplant under the programme at the age of five.

“I come back every three months for check-ups but it is all good,” Ms Kealy said.

The latest patient to receive a transplant was Joshua O'Halloran (15), from Tynagh, near Portumna, in Co Galway. Joshua received a kidney from his dad Francis and both O'Hallorans were happily comparing their respective recovery times.

Joshua, who was not on dialysis but had to avoid certain foods such as salt, said he was identified as suitable for a transplant last December and the operation was carried out in Temple Street just last week.

A member of the Junior Certificate class of 2015 in Portumna Community School, Joshua said he was hoping the whole experience meant he could skip that exam.

Joshua was number 101 in the transplant programme, which last year saw 19 children receive transplants.

Over the 12 years since the programme started, the youngest child to get a transplant was just two-years-old, while the oldest was aged 17.

Kidney donor card

While everyone at the event was celebrating the success of the programme, the children, their families and the medical teams were encouraging everybody to sign up for a kidney donor card, which can be done on the Irish Kidney Association website or by free texting DONOR to 50050.

They were also supporting Temple Street’s fundraising drive, which needs to raise €5 million every year to support the programme.

This year the hospital is embarking on an ambitious plan to build a new neurology and renal outpatients unit. The building will cost €5 million and donations can be made through the Temple Street website.

In addition to running the transplant service, Temple Street is also the national paediatric haemodialysis centre. Children from across the State travel to Temple Street three times a week for periods ranging from six months to five years while waiting for a donor kidney.