A 27 year old Roscommon man, who met his now fiancé a week prior to being diagnosed with kidney failure, is now hoping to receive a kidney transplant in advance of  getting married in the summer of 2017.

He is sharing his story to help raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and support the Irish Kidney Association's Organ Donor Awareness Week (28th March -4th April).

David Beirne from Corboley, Knockcroghery was enjoying life like most twenty five years olds before receiving a sudden diagnosis of kidney failure in October 2013 which turned his world upside down. Prior to his diagnosis David had always carried an organ donor card and signed the back of his driving licence to be an organ donor.   David now undergoes a form of home dialysis treatment (peritoneal) every night for eight hours at a time.

The avid hurler and member of St. Dominick's Senior Hurling Club made a trip to his GP as his ankle had suddenly became swollen which he thought might have been a result of an injury he sustained while refereeing a camogie match a few days previously. However, his astute doctor carried out some blood tests which revealed that David's creatinine levels were very high signalling kidney failure.

David gave up playing with St. Dominick's since he commenced dialysis in August 2014 but his passion for hurling has not waned and he is now a selector for the club. He is optimistic that he will be called for a kidney transplant and that he will be able to return to playing for his club.

A week prior to his diagnosis David first met his sweetheart Irene Nestor from Brownsgrove, Tuam who has been a huge support to him since his diagnosis and they are now planning their wedding in July 2017.

David said "I would encourage everyone to support organ donation and Organ Donor Awareness Week. I feel fortunate that my dialysis treatment is working quite well for me and I try to lead as normal a life as possible within the confines of what my condition brings". However, I will need a transplant and I know that this is dependent on the generosity of a family who I will never know and at a time when they are suffering the loss of a family member, they will make the decision for organ donation. This selfless decision will give me and other people with organ failure a chance for a better quality of life."

The 2015 Organ Donor Awareness Week campaign will feature popular broadcaster Mary Kennedy in radio advertising as well as on posters, encouraging the public to support organ donation.  She will also attend the campaign's national launch by the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, T.D.  at the Mansion House, Dublin  on Monday, 23rd March.

2015 marks the 30th anniversary in Ireland of Heart Transplantation which is carried out at the Mater Hospital, Dublin and the hospital also celebrates the 10th anniversary of lung transplantation this year.

There are over 700 people in Ireland awaiting life-saving heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas transplants. Thanks to the gift of organ donation over 3000 people in Ireland are enjoying extended life.

There was a sharp decline in the number of deceased donors in 2014 from its previous year, 63 as compared with 86 in 2013. In total 251 people received organ transplants in 2014 as compared with 294 in 2013. The Chief Executive of the Irish Kidney Association, Mark Murphy, said when these figures were announced at the beginning of this year that, "The Organ Procurement Service's transition period, which we are now in the middle of, gives us hope in future years that the organ donor rates for Ireland will be far better than they are now. The commencement of an Audit of organ donor activity inside the country's intensive care facilities is essential."

Despite 2014's mediocre performance in liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation, the Mater Hospital enjoyed an exceptional year for heart transplantation with 18 heart transplants taking place, its highest in a decade,  and the Mater hospital almost matched its previous year's record for lung transplantation with 31 lung transplants taking place, just one less than in 2013. 44 liver transplants were carried out at St. Vincent's University Hospital last year, 20% less than in 2013. In 2014, 152 people received kidney transplants at Beaumont Hospital of which 40 were from living donors and 112 from deceased donors.

The focus of Organ Donor Awareness Week is to raise awareness about the ongoing and ever increasing demand for transplantation which relies on the public for organ donation. Families need to talk together and keep the reminders of their willingness to donate visible by carrying the organ donor card, downloading the Smartphone App and permitting Code 115 to be included on their driver's license.

Organ Donor Awareness Week also serves as a fundraising exercise for the Irish Kidney Association. Throughout the Week ( 28th March- 4th April, 2015), the Association's volunteers will be out on the streets, and in shopping centres throughout the country, selling 'forget-me-not-flower' emblems, brooches, pens and shopping trolley discs. All proceeds will go towards the Irish Kidney Association's aid for patients on dialysis and those patients fortunate enough to have received a kidney transplant. The Irish Kidney Association charitable activities include the provision of a 13 double bedroom free accommodation facility for patients and their families in the grounds of Beaumont Hospital and holiday centres located in Tramore and Kerry, together with patient advocacy, advice, financial aid and rehabilitative, health promotion and the provision of kidney patient information and education. This year the IKA are introducing another fundraising technique. You can text "kidney" to 50300 and €2.00 will be donated from your mobile phone account to the IKA.

The Irish Kidney Association is the national organisation charged with the promotion and distribution of the organ donor card in Ireland, on behalf of Organ Donation Transplant Ireland.

Free information fact files, which accompany organ donor cards, are obtainable from the Irish Kidney Association and are available nationwide from pharmacies, GP surgeries and Citizen Information Offices etc.

Organ Donor Cards can also be obtained by phoning the Irish Kidney Association  LoCall 1890 543639 or Freetext the word DONOR to 50050. Visit website www.ika.ie

It is now possible to store an organ donor card, the 'ecard' on Smart mobile phones.   Simply search for 'Donor ECard' at the IPhone Store or Android Market Place.

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