Cork father-of-two reveals his anxious wait for vital heart transplant

A father-of-two from Cork has spoken about his onerous wait on a transplant list as part of the inaugural Oireachtas Heart and Stroke group on heart failure at Leinster House.

Irish Heart Foundation patient champion 46-year-old Stephen Comerford, from Carrigtwohill, outlined to the group how life stops when you are on a heart transplant list.

Mr Comerford, who is living with heart failure, has been brought to the Mater hospital and prepped for operation twice, but the heart was unsuitable on both occasions.

“Every day I’m just waiting by the phone and hoping that call will come,” said Mr Comerford.

“The transplant team ring me every Tuesday with updates on donor hearts and to see how I am. They check things like my fluid and weight to make sure there’s no further deterioration. I have age on my side and feel lucky that these things are happening for me.”

In 1996, Stephen’s younger brother, Gary, died suddenly while playing soccer aged 15.

It was discovered that Gary had cardiomyopathy and Stephen was diagnosed with the same condition, which can cause your heart to weaken and can lead to heart failure symptoms over time.

In 2001, Mr Comerford was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, which is a small electrical device that treats abnormal heart rhythms.

Routine annual tests eight months ago indicated that Stephen’s heart was struggling, and he was referred for a heart transplant in April.

Mr Comerford added: “The initial shock was awful, especially for my family and my parents, who are still with me. There was a bit of naivety in thinking that I would just be like this forever. I was not expecting any deterioration and then the day came when my cardiologist said to me that I’m at ‘end-stage heart failure’.

“It’s hard trying to find the words to describe how amazing the medical team, they’re really holding your hand even though they’re in Dublin and I’m in Cork.”

Cork TDs Pádraig Rice and Colm Burke, along with Senator Margaret Murphy O’Mahony, joined the Oireachtas Heart and Stroke group to advocate for Mr Comerford and the estimated 15,655 people living with heart failure in Cork.

The group want to see greater local access to cardiac rehabilitation, psychological support, and help to ease financial hardship caused by the condition.

Meanwhile, the group also heard from experts in the field, as well as about the disabilities and challenges faced by the estimated 137,000 people living with heart failure in Ireland.