Cork man: 'Today and every day, I think about my donor and his family'

I’m Stephen Comerford. I’m 47 years old and from Cork. I’m husband to Karen and father to Sophie and Stephen.

My story dates back to September, 1996, when my brother Gary died at the age of 15 playing soccer, the sport he loved so much. In his memory, the Cork Schoolboys league named the under 15 Premier League as a memorial to him.

In 2024, our son, Stephen, captained his team Midleton FC to lift Gary’s trophy, which was a very special day for our family.

Shortly after Gary’s death, his heart was sent to London for testing. We were later told he died from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Our immediate and wider family were screened for the condition. I was subsequently diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

In 2001, I was fitted with an Implantable Defibrillator, or ICD, and, along with medication under the excellent care of my cardiologist at CUH in Cork, I went on to live a relatively normal life. I was never sick to the extent of being hospitalised with the condition. I was very lucky.

The occasional shock from the device during sport, applied to stop the progression of either Atrial Fibrillation or Ventricular Fibrillation, proved be the least of my problems.

After routine checks early last year, I was told that things had drastically changed. My cardiologist said I was in end stage heart failure and before I knew it, I was being assessed at the Mater hospital for a heart transplant.

After a week of assessment, I was placed on the transplant list. I was later told that my life expectancy without a transplant was two years.

After two ambulance journeys to the Mater, only to be told the donor heart was not suitable for me, I was back down the road to Cork waiting for that all important next call.

Thankfully, that call came in the summer of last year which changed our lives forever.

I received my new heart from my very special donor and his family.

After five weeks of incredible care by my entire medical team at the Mater Hospital, I was heading home to my family in Cork with a new heart, a new lease of life, a second chance.

I recall during my recovery my cardiologist, Professor Emer Joyce, telling me that the life-ending condition I had was gone.

Those words were powerful.

Today and every day, I think about my donor and his family. The decision they made has saved my life and I will be forever grateful to them for that.

I stand before you as a donor recipient and would like to express my sincere thanks to the following:

First and foremost, a very special thank you to my wife Karen, my family, friends and my colleagues at Aviva Insurance for your unwavering support.

My cardiology team at both the CUH, in Cork and at the Mater hospital in Dublin.

Thank-you to the team at the Irish Kidney Association for inviting me to the launch of this year’s Organ Donor Awareness week.

Thank-you to the Irish Heart & Lung Transplant Association for their work, especially around advocacy.

For me, the message for today is a very simple one: Please have the conversation around organ donation with your loved ones.

My name is Irene McGrath. I live in Glasheen, Cork city, with my husband, Gary.

I have a rare autoimmune condition called Scleroderma, which resulted in the scarring of my lungs in my late thirties. I began to feel breathless at the slightest exertion; even walking up a slight incline would catch me. Eventually, I could no longer play sports or take part in any activities. I was placed on oxygen therapy and, after various tests, was added to the organ donor transplant list.

I remained on that list for about three and a half years. During that time, I was called to Dublin six times for potential donor matches, but on each occasion, I wasn’t a match. I was eventually admitted to the Mater Hospital as my condition worsened; I could no longer function, and my oxygen requirements became too great and unsafe for home use.

I waited patiently and prayed continuously for a suitable match. It is still hard to admit, knowing someone had to leave this life in order for me to live - but the reason I’m standing here before you today is through the selfless act of one family.

I was literally at death’s door when I received my life-changing operation. I will be eternally grateful to my donor and their family; they were the ones who agreed to give life to an unknown person while grieving such a huge, unpalatable loss themselves.

I am incredibly lucky and blessed to have received a double lung transplant. You immediately forget all the hardships that came before the surgery; it’s like starting from ground zero again, but without the oxygen!

I returned home to my emotional and much relieved family just six weeks later.

I am now over five years into my second chance at life, and I don’t waste a minute. My wise and beautiful mother always said, “Life is not a dress rehearsal,” so you need to get out there, live life, and put yourself outside your comfort zone.

I think of my donor and their family and count my blessings every day. Since my transplant, I have returned to work and the gym, I have travelled, and even returned to sport.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the unbelievable care I received - and continue to receive - from the medical teams at the Mater and CUH, and especially ILFA, who were a great source of support throughout my journey. I’d also like to thank my husband, Gary, for his unwavering devotion, as well as my amazing family, especially my younger sister Valerie, and my wide circle of friends.

Organ Donor Awareness Week, to me, is the celebration of the gift of life, another chance to spend more time with my family and loved ones, and to experience life, and a special time to remember those who have passed.

So, I ask everyone to say YES to organ donation and YES to saving lives.