ORGAN DONOR WEEK: Offaly farmer in buoyant form after life saving double lung transplant

It was in the early autumn of 2021 during the height of Covid that Ciaran McDonald underwent a life saving double lung transplant at the age of 58. 

He runs a busy dairy farm in Ballycumber, Co Offaly.  Married to Teresa, two of their adult children, Triona and Christopher, live nearby and one of their daughters Roberta lives abroad and also works in the Agricultural industry. Now a grandfather, Ciaran,  moved to Offaly nearly three decades ago. He is a  native of Crossbeg in Co Wexford where his mother still resides along with some of his six siblings.     

The first indications that Ciaran lungs might be vulnerable  was in 2010 and in 2015 ahead of operations for varicose veins and a hernia. But medics  did not indicate that there was any real cause for concern.

In 2018 Ciaran was feeling very unfit and as he played a lot of sport in between long hours working on his 350-stock dairy farm,   it bothered him as up until then he was full of energy. In the same year he caught a flu virus with which he became very sick requiring an admission to the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore. It became apparent to medics that there was an issue with his lungs and he was transferred to St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin.  Up until this point, Ciaran said he never really felt sick and just felt tired and sluggish.  Tests revealed he had only 26% lung function and he was referred to the Mater Hospital’s Transplant team for assessment to go on the transplant waiting list for either a single or double lung transplant.   

By Christmas 2019 he was accepted onto the transplant waiting list. This wasn’t before a battery of medical tests and some hesitation on Ciaran’s part about his willingness to accept a donor lung/s from a deceased donor.  His wife Teresa was with him at his appointment with his lung consultant who gave him a very sobering prognosis about the possible outcome of his diagnosis. A few other people he had known on transplant waiting lists had passed away so he was aware of the reality of his situation. But he was determined to remain positive and not dwell on his health condition.

For thirteen months, the 6ft 4 inches tall Ciaran, was on 24-hour oxygen supply, carrying his life saving oxygen supply around on his back in a knapsack.  He credits his manual farm work for helping to keep him fit enough to undergo a major transplant operation. He was mentally prepared for a transplant and was prepared that if he was called that even if he did get called, the operation might not proceed.    Then on a Saturday night   in the early Autumn 2021 he received a call from the Mater Hospital to come to Dublin as a deceased donor’s lungs had become available. It was to be his only call for a   transplant as it proceeded and it was a success with no rejection.

However, although within 4 weeks of his transplant his lung function was back up to 88%, the road to recovery wasn’t smooth.  Ciaran was unfortunate to catch a virus which was a huge setback as his health declined rapidly. He had to be peg fed to help him to get over the setback of the virus as well as the healing process of the operation. After a long hospital stay he was allowed home on high level antibiotics. It took almost a year to recover post-transplant because of the setback but he describes how he felt on top of the world after Christmas 2022. 

He said that, while he will always be cautious as he is on lifetime immunosuppressant medication, he feels that his life has been not only saved by the act of a selfless donor and their family but his quality of life has vastly improved. He is back working on his busy farm, while in his spare time he loves spending time with his wife and family including his grandchildren who he describes as a ‘pleasure to be around and a big ball of fun’. One of his grandchildren was born in the past year and Ciaran says,   “were it not for my transplant I would not have been blessed to meet her. To be able to breathe unaided is something I cherish and will never take for granted”. He continued, “the future is looking great and I have my donor to thank for this”. 

"The medical nursing and transplant team at the Mater Hospital have been exceptional in the care they have given me. My wife Teresa and my family have also been a rock of support and I'd like to thank my neighbours and friends for their unstinting support to me and my family. There are so many people that I am thankful to and I'll never forget how they were there for me. The family of my donor who will always remain in my thoughts. Without the decision they made for organ donation of their loved ones I would not be here."

Organ Donor Awareness Week 2023 takes place from May 20 until May 27.