Congratulations to the nine Athletes who represented Ireland at the European Heart and Lung Transplant Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Between them they won six Gold Medals, ten Silver Medals and eight Bronze Medals. A real tribute to their Donors and all Donors.
Frank Galvin is a 56-year-old recipient of a heart transplant. Married with 5 children, Frank was first diagnosed with a crippling virus in 2010 which was attacking his heart.
Following the insertion of an ICD, Frank’s health improved greatly until October 2014, when it was discovered that he was suffering from heart failure, the only solution to which was a transplant. An inpatient of Blanchardstown Hospital for 10 months, Frank received a heart through the generosity of a donor family in late July 2015.
The procedure itself went exceedingly well, although Frank did suffer a few problems shortly thereafter. While the medicines took some getting used to and, indeed, have their own unique problems and side-effects, Frank now believes he has turned a corner.
As he told us himself, the anniversary of his transplant will be a happy occasion for himself and family, but tinged with sadness for his donor’s family.
Damien Keogh, a 33-year-old husband and father of two, is a heart transplant recipient as of July 2015.
Like so many others, Damien’s decline into extremely serious illness was quite fast. Following the contraction of a virus in November 2014, his heart became irrevocably damaged. Early 2015 saw no improvement with a Left Ventricular Assist Device being seen as the only means by which to aid his damaged heart at that point. However, during the procedure, his heart stopped beating for a total of 12 minutes, during which time he also suffered a stroke. So serious was this development that Damien set a hospital record for blood units received in a 24 hour period.
Following this, Damien had the LVAD in place until his transplant in July 2015. During this period, he was called to be assessed for three different hearts. One of said calls even saw him being brought to theatre only to discover upon waking up the following day that the surgery had not taken place. The third call, however, proved to be the one for him.
Damien’s recovery was a swift one. He spent a few weeks in hospital and was even able to attend a friend’s wedding in August.
As the summer approaches, so too does a busy schedule events for the IHLTA and its members.
Do you see yourself as being in a position to help us organise more events? Would you like to join our committee?
We are a completely voluntary charity and rely entirely on the generosity of our members. As such, we need your help!
Remembering those who gave the most precious gift of all - the gift of life. This is just one example of one of the many life changing stories out there which was featured in the news recently. With respect to the Donor's family, no exact dates are given. But while we celebrate new life - we remember our Donors and their families every day and always.
Please follow the link to find out more on Adrianne Roberts' story.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1223/756001-heart-lung-transplant/
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