Jessie running on gratitude for Gifts of Life
A Westmeath native is taking on the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon for the first time this year, and it isn’t just a physical challenge – it’s a celebration of life after two kidney transplants.
Jessie Doyle, who now lives in Santry, also has her wedding, in Kilkenny, and agraduation (her second Master’s) this year, in September.
Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease at 17 after years of unexplained symptoms, the 29-year-old is now healthy, full of energy, and running the 10k distance on June 1 and raising funds for the Irish Kidney Association, the charity that supported her family.
Her online fundraising platform is www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/JessieDoyle568.
After a lifetime of illness, dialysis treatment, and two kidney transplants (one at 20, the second in 2023 when she was 27), Jessie is embracing her renewed energy from the gift of life she received.
Jessie lived near Gaybrook, Mullingar, till she was 20, when her parents Patricia and Donal Doyle moved to Hill of Down.
As a child and teen, she was often sick and fatigued, but her symptoms were frequently dismissed.
“In school, I was often seen as an anxious child who was always unwell,” she recalls.
“It wasn’t until I went to the doctor with abdominal pain that they discovered high protein levels in my urine, which pointed towards kidney problems.”
Jessie was referred to the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, where her chronic kidney disease was confirmed.
Doctors believe the damage may have stemmed from a medical emergency at birth, when her organs briefly shut down and her heart stopped.
By the time it was discovered in her late teens, her kidney function had dropped to 30%.
“I was still in school, doing my Leaving Cert. It was a really tough time. It was very isolating,” she says.
“I missed months of school, couldn’t go out with friends, and often felt like nobody understood what I was going through.
“For my 18th birthday celebration, I had one drink and went home to bed as I was feeling exhausted, while my friends went on to party.
“I started dialysis after completing my Leaving Cert and by then my kidney function had fallen to 12%.”
Jessie began attending dialysis three times a week at the hospital in Tullamore.
She delayed university due to the demands of treatment, and instead, completed a PLC course nearer to home, at Moate Business College.
Her father Donal had begun the process for screening for living kidney donation, and within a year of being accepted on the kidney transplant waiting list, at age 20, Jessie received the call that a deceased donor kidney match was found.
“While it took about three weeks for the donor kidney to begin working properly, I gradually began to feel energised, I felt like a different person,” she said.
While Jessie was recovering at Beaumont Hospital, her parents and siblings were able to stay nearby in the Irish Kidney Association Kidney Support Centre on the hospital campus. “That was an incredible support. Just having my family nearby made all the difference.”
With her new lease of life, Jessie went on to study multimedia at DCU and later completed a Master’s in Climate Change, Policy and Media. But in late 2021, after an unexpected medical emergency, her kidney function began to deteriorate again.
She was preparing herself for long-term dialysis, even setting up her treatment at home, when her life was suddenly turned around.
“It was devastating to be back on dialysis. During one of my many visits to Beaumont Hospital, my renal consultant told me I could be waiting for up to four years for another transplant, which was a huge blow.
“I had only been on dialysis for four weeks at that point and both my boyfriend (now fiancé) and dad had offered to be screened for living kidney donation.
“Then, that same evening, I received the call, there was a perfect match for me. I couldn’t believe it that my wait on the transplant list was so short.”
Jessie’s second transplant, in April 2023, was successful. Unlike the first, the kidney began functioning immediately and she was discharged from Beaumont Hospital in just five days.
She is now living in Santry, with her fiancé Aaron Hoey, whom she met on Tinder in 2017. The couple have just bought a house and are preparing for their wedding on September 6. Just a few weeks later, she’ll graduate with her second Master’s degree, this one in Visual Communications from TU Dublin.
“It’s a full circle moment. For so long I couldn’t plan for the future. Now I’m doing it all at once by running, graduating, getting married.”
She’s running the VHI Dublin City Mini Marathon to raise awareness about kidney disease and organ donation and to thank the Irish Kidney Association for their support.
“I spent years being sick, staring out the hospital window wishing I could just be outside walking. Now, I have that freedom, and I want to use it.”
There are more than 2,500 people in Ireland receiving dialysis treatment and some 500 of them are on a waiting list for a kidney transplant.
Jessie’s message to organ donors and their families is: “You don’t just give someone an organ, you give them their life back. I wouldn’t be here without my donors. It’s the most selfless act imaginable. I remain eternally grateful to my donors families.”
Jessie is sharing her story just after Organ Donor Awareness Week (May 10-17), the annual life saving awareness campaign organised by the Irish Kidney Association with the support of Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland (ODTI), HSE.
The key message of the campaign which carries all year round is, ‘Don’t Leave Your Loved Ones in Doubt, Share Your Wishes About Organ Donation’.
To donate to Jessie’s online fundraising page for the Irish Kidney Association visit www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/JessieDoyle568.
For more information on the Irish Kidney Association and the services it provides to kidney patients, their families and carers, or to request an organ donor card visit www.ika.ie.