Cork dad to spend Christmas at home with family for first time in four years following life-changing kidney transplant

This Christmas will be different for a family in Cork, as a 35-year-old father of two will get to spend the festive season at home for the first time in four years following a life-changing kidney transplant last August.

Dave Healy, originally from Blarney and now living in Carrigaline with his wife Sarah St Leger and their two children, aged four and two, spent over two and a half years attending dialysis treatment at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

His treatment schedule required three haemodialysis sessions a week, each lasting three hours, all while continuing to work.

His wife Sarah said: “Dave was diagnosed four years ago with chronic kidney disease, just after we had our first baby. Dialysis kept him alive, but drained him.

“It sometimes felt like I was sole parenting. We were both doing our best, but between him working full time and dialysis treatment in hospital, he had almost no energy left. Our parents helped out whenever they could.

“The prospect of spending Christmas morning in hospital receiving dialysis treatment, away from the excitement of our children opening their presents and enjoying playing with them, had weighed heavily on Dave.

“But this year, everything has changed, and we look forward to being present all day together and enjoying Christmas dinner without Dave having to comply with renal diet restrictions.”

In August, Dave received a call unexpectedly asking him to make his way to Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, where he received a donor kidney from a “selfless deceased donor”, said Sarah.

“The effects were immediate. His energy returned, his health stabilised, and the restrictions around diet and fluids that once dominated daily life were lifted.”

Dave said: “It feels like getting my life back, and getting to be fully present with my wife and children this Christmas morning, it means more than I can put into words. I will be forever grateful to the donor and their family for giving us this chance.

“We even got to enjoy a family holiday abroad a few weeks ago. All this was made possible by my donor.”

Dave and Sarah expressed their deep gratitude to the medical teams at CUH who cared for Dave throughout his long dialysis journey, the teams at Beaumont Hospital, and the staff at the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) Munster Kidney Support Centre, which is located just 200m from CUH.

They also thanked the IKA for providing free accommodation near Beaumont Hospital, allowing Sarah and the family to stay close by when the call for the transplant finally came and while Dave was recovering in hospital.

The charity is providing interim arrangements for hotel accommodation for kidney patients and families until its National Kidney Support Centre on the grounds of Beaumont Hospital reopens. The centre is undergoing major renovation for which the IKA is fundraising at www.supportkidneycentre.ie

The family hopes their story encourages conversations about organ donation and the gift of life.

Sarah said: “One family’s generosity, someone we have never met, gave our family — a husband, son, and father —his life back.

“Because of them, we have the prospect of spending a wonderful Christmas and a future full of hope.”

The IKA is encouraging families to take the opportunity, over the Christmas season, to discuss organ donation and make sure they know each other’s wishes.

For organ donor cards, visit www.ika.ie/donorcard

People can also contribute to the National Kidney Support Centre project by buying a raffle ticket online at https://www.idonate.ie/raffle/IKA2025