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29 Apr
A family wedding in a little parish church in Limerick this June will only be happening thanks to the extraordinary stories of organ donation involving four people.
Brian Sheehy (33) from Athea, Co Limerick, will marry his sweetheart Sarah Reidy in their local parish church in Ardagh on June 4th, before then jetting off to Portugal for their honeymoon.
Brian is a double transplant survivor. His first kidney, from a deceased organ donor, ended 3 years of constant dialysis when he was 16 years of age.
But just a month before that life-saving transplant in 2005, Brian's older brother Patrick (18) was killed in a road accident. Patrick had wanted to donate his organs and his decision changed the lives of no less than six recipients across Ireland.
In 2014, Brian, by then the father of a baby girl, was told that he would need another transplant - and it was his uncle Mike, a father of three from Listowel, who stepped forward.
Mike will be amongst the family and friends in the church at Ardagh in June to see his nephew marry.
Before flying out to Portugal for their honeymoon after the June bank holiday weekend, Brian and Sarah Reidy will exchange marriage vows in Sarah's parish church in Ardagh. They will be watched on by their extended family and friends including their daughter Kayla (age 11) and kidney donor uncle Mike and his wife Rose and their three children, Laura (22) Mairead (18) and Rosie (16) and Brian's parents Margaret and Richard.
Brian said: "I'm feeling on top of the world now and I have Mike to thank for it. The transplant has given me my life back. It allowed me to go back to work, save for a house with Sarah, plan ahead and play an active role in my daughter's life.
"The whole extended family will be attending our wedding celebration in June. While we exchange vows we will have three candles lit, one candle will be for the deceased donor who gave me my life back as a teenager and we will also remember my brother Patrick and have a photo of him at our wedding reception.
"We'll also be raising a glass for Mike who got me to this point".
Mike explained, "Although I didn't see Brian frequently when he was a child, as I was busy raising my family in another county, I knew about his plight and that and I was happy to put myself forward to be screened to be a living kidney donor. It was an honour to be able to donate a kidney to him and I want to thank my wife Rose for fully supporting me with this decision".
Brian met Sarah while studying for a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology at Tralee Institute of Technology. The couple welcomed baby Kayla a few years later and following the kidney donation by his uncle Mike the couple went on to buy their own home together. Brian starts a new job next week as a clerical officer in Limerick City & County Council.
Brian was born in Melbourne and was diagnosed soon after his birth with Posterior Urethral Valve Syndrome which blocks the flow of urine and damages the kidneys.
His family returned to Ireland when he was three and he spent much of his childhood and early teens in Crumlin Children's Hospital due to complications around his condition and the necessity to have one of his kidneys removed.
The family is sharing their story for Organ Donor Awareness week (23-30 April) which is organised by the Irish Kidney Association in association with Organ Donation Transplant Ireland and comes to a close tomorrow (Saturday).
Individuals who wish to support organ donation are encouraged to Share Their Wishes and keep the reminders of their decision available by carrying the organ donor card, permitting Code 115 to be included on their driver’s licence or having the ‘digital organ donor card’ App on their smartphone.
Organ Donor Cards can be requested by visiting the IKA website or to your phone, phoning the Irish Kidney Association on 01 6205306 or Free text the word DONOR to 50050.