Tipperary student’s kidney transplant success inspires charity support
Michelle Barry received a successful kidney transplant this year
When 22-year-old Michelle Barry from Nenagh received a phone call late one night in April this year from Beaumont Hospital, telling her a deceased donor kidney had become available, it was a call she and her family had been waiting years to receive.
For Michelle, the call marked the end of a difficult chapter. Kidney failure had overshadowed her college experience, forced her onto life sustaining dialysis treatment for more than three years and ultimately sidelined her from the sport she loved.
Michelle’s kidney disease is believed to date back to early childhood. Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease at nine, she later transferred to adult renal services at University Hospital Limerick. By the age of 19, her health had deteriorated significantly.
Michelle was in her first year studying Business at NUIG when she began dialysis. “There was so much going on at once,” she recalls. “I was living away from home for the first time and suddenly I had to manage dialysis as well. Everything revolved around it.”
The demands of the treatment and sickness took a toll on Michelle’s studies, forcing her to repeat a year. Her transplant, which came towards the end of her final year of studies, required her to defer two of her exams until this August before beginning a graduate accounting position in September.
After three years and four months on dialysis, much of it managed while living away from home and studying in Galway, Michelle finally received the call she had been waiting for.
“When you know you’re on the transplant list, you know that somebody has to pass away for that call to come,” says Michelle. “The second I got that important call, that was the first place my mind went to. Our family was receiving the best news we’d had years, but somewhere another family had just received the worst news of their lives. It’s a very surreal thing to think about.”
Today, Michelle and her family are supporting the Irish Kidney Association’s fundraising appeal for the National Kidney Support Centre at Beaumont Hospital - a free ‘home away from home’ that provides overnight accommodation and day facilities for kidney patients and their families (www.supportkidneycentre.ie). The family’s gratitude for the support they received is one of the reasons they have chosen to share their story as the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) enters the final phase of its €250,000 fundraising campaign to renovate and future-proof the National Kidney Support Centre.
For Michelle’s father, Michael Barry, the National Kidney Support Centre became an invaluable source of support during those anxious days while his daughter underwent her transplant and began her recovery.
When Michelle received the call, Michael contacted the Support Centre, and accommodation was arranged within hours. At the time, the Centre had recently completed a major refurbishment project but had not yet formally reopened. Michelle's family became one of the first families to stay in the newly renovated building, benefiting from the upgraded accommodation and facilities during one of the most important periods of their lives.
Thankfully, Michelle’s transplant was a success, and her new kidney began working immediately. One of the biggest reminders of how much life had changed for Barrys is the disappearance of dialysis supplies from the family home and life didn’t revolve around dialysis sessions.
When Michelle was discharged from hospital, she marked her recovery in a way she felt fitting. “The day after I got home from hospital after my transplant, I ordered a new hurley,” she laughs, “having already ordered a fitness and health watch online from my hospital bed.”
Now within two months post-transplant, Michelle is gradually building up her fitness and hitting sliotar most days. “My goal is to get back playing camogie,” she says. “To ensure I can continue playing camogie safely, my consultant has recommended a specialised protective belt for my transplanted kidney, which I have now ordered. I’ve started jogging again, I’m back in the gym and I feel great.”
To support the Irish Kidney Association’s fundraising appeal or learn more about the National Kidney Support Centre renovation project, visit www.supportkidneycentre.ie