Transplant recipient Martina encourages chat with family
Martina Guyett’s lively interview with comedian presenter Jennifer Zamparelli on 2FM on Thursday November 26 last led to a surge in donor card requests.
The Galway native who has lived in Rochfortbridge for the last 20 years spoke about how she had been taken by surprise recently when at 2.48am one day, she was woken from her sleep with a call from Beaumont Hospital to come up for a kidney transplant.
Martina was diagnosed with the hereditary condition Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) when she was just 13 years old. Three members of her family before her also had to have kidney transplants because of it.
“I learned a lot from watching how my mother managed her illness and was aware of the risks involved. I knew that managing my blood pressure and staying healthy and fit was key to me staving off dialysis for as long as possible. I tried to walk 5km every day and adhered to medical advice as much as possible,” the 51-year-old said.
“I worked at the regional hospital Mullingar for almost 16 years, four years in the lab, where I learned to monitor my kidney function, and could see they were gradually coming to end stage. My late mother’s illness did not develop until she approached her 50s, just like me.
“She had two transplants and passed away at the age of 66 from cancer. My late uncle’s condition also didn’t progress until he was middle aged, and he had one transplant. However, my brother was only 28 when he received a kidney transplant, which thankfully is still working.”
Martina is currently doing a fundraiser on Facebook for the Irish Kidney Association. She has raised more than €2,500 to date and is sharing her story to support an organ donor awareness campaign organised by the Irish Kidney Association and supported by Organ Donation Transplant Ireland, encouraging families to discuss organ donation and let their wishes be known.
She is also reminding people that she and other grateful transplant recipients would be lighting candles over Christmas and new year in memory of the organ donors who gave them renewed life.
Going back to the night of the transplant, Martina’s husband Eddie managed to deliver her to the hospital entrance by 4.20am, but could go no further because of restrictions on hospital visitors due to Covid-19.
The HSE employee was well used to the journey to Dublin, as for 15 months she had been attending St Vincent’s University Hospital for haemodialysis treatment twice a week.
As well as thanking her kidney donor in her radio interview, Martina, who works with Intellectual Disabilities Residential Services, expressed her gratitude to former colleagues in the regional hospital Mullingar, who had been a huge support to her all through her illness, as had her family and friends.
In fact, last year on seeing Martina’s plight, her close friend Emer Evans stepped up to be her kidney donor and proved to be a suitable match, but delays due to Covid-19 prevented that transplant from going ahead.
Martina described her immense gratitude for her kidney donor: “I am over the moon, I feel on top of the world. The brain fog I had while on dialysis is gone and an unexpected consequence is that my eyesight has also improved since my transplant, and it is all thanks to my donor.
“I had no idea how unwell I was until my kidney transplant showed me how well I could be. It is onwards and upwards now. Eddie and I and our children Averyl and Karl can look forward to celebrating together.”
She also thanked “everyone at St Vincent’s Hospital including staff who looked after me and all the dialysis patients who became my friends. To all the staff at St Damien’s Ward and Day Care in Beaumont Hospital, my transplant surgeon Mr Smyth and my consultant Dr Magee. The Irish Kidney Association has been a huge support to my family over the years and I want to help them spread the important message about organ donation – have the chat!”
Individuals who wish to support organ donation are encouraged to keep the reminders of their decision available by carrying the organ donor card, permitting Code 115 to be included on their driving licence and having the ‘digital organ donor card’ APP on their smartphone.
Organ Donor Cards
Organ Donor Cards can be obtained by phoning the Irish Kidney Association on 01 6205306 or Free text the word DONOR to 50050. You can also visit the website at ika.ie/get-a-donor-card or download a free ‘digital organ donor card’ APP to your phone.