A SKIBBEREEN family has told how they are counting their eight kidney transplant blessings as they mark Organ Donor Awareness Week.

The week (May 16th to 23rd) holds profound meaning for sisters Anne Hackett and Marian Crudge after their lives were transformed through loss and generosity.

Today, seven members of their family with hereditary kidney disease are alive thanks to the decision of the families of eight deceased donors to give the gift of organ donation at a time of profound grief.

Anne Hackett, who grew up in Skibbereen but now lives in Co Tipperary, was the latest of seven family members to receive a kidney transplant, six years after her son Paul underwent the same surgery.

Anne’s father, a farmer, was diagnosed at a very late stage of kidney disease and died aged 49 after a year on dialysis.

Anne was just ten years old at the time and in the years that followed her three sisters – Bernadette, Marian and Helen – were each diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) which is hereditary and can cause complete kidney failure.

Anne was tested and advised she did not carry the same condition, but at the age of 37 she started experiencing kidney-related issues and PKD was diagnosed.

Through careful management her kidney function declined slowly and she did not progress to dialysis treatment until her 60s.

However those later years took their toll.

Eventually forced to retire from her career as a school teacher which she loved, she recalled: ‘The fatigue was constant and overwhelming. I had little energy, and everyday life became increasingly difficult.’

Anne’s kidney function had dropped to just 8% when she began dialysis and she spent several years hooked up to a dialysis machine for eight hours each night.

She said: ‘I felt fortunate that dialysis worked well for me. Once I began treatment, I felt much better and came to see it as my lifeline while waiting for a transplant.’

The call for a transplant finally came in the summer of 2023, six years after her son Paul received his, marking a new beginning for Anne. Like her sisters, she received the gift of a kidney transplant from a deceased
donor.

For one of her sisters, Marian Crudge, who still lives in her native Skibbereen, that second chance came twice.

Her first transplant followed four and a half years of home dialysis treatment and lasted 13 years until 2019 when she returned to dialysis, this time hospital haemodialysis.

She underwent her second transplant earlier this year. Even more remarkably, Marian’s two sons, Owen and Peter Crudge, now in their late 30s, also underwent dialysis treatment for three years before receiving kidney transplants one year apart in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Anne’s son Paul was diagnosed with the same hereditary condition in his 20s, undergoing two years of dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant in 2017.

Today, Paul is married and living in Dublin with his American wife and their two young children.

Anne, who is chairperson of her local branch of the Irish Kidney Association, said: ‘I am embracing my life now. Thanks to my son’s transplant, I have two more beautiful grandchildren. I enjoy playing golf, gardening, and living out the rest of my life with my husband.’

Anne also highlighted the unexpected positives that came from those who underwent medical testing to see if they were suitable for living kidney donation.

‘Some of our family were assessed for living kidney donation but couldn’t proceed for different reasons. However, through the thorough and robust testing, other potential health issues were discovered early, which gave them a heads-up and allowed them to address things before they became serious.’

She concluded: ‘My family supports me in sharing our story for Organ Donor Awareness Week… Eight families we do not know, gave seven of ours the gift of life through kidney transplants, and many more lives were probably saved through other organs being donated by those same donors. We really hope people will talk to their families and make their wishes known.

‘We are deeply grateful to all donor families, and we hope our story can in some way bring them comfort in knowing the lasting and life-changing legacy of their loved ones’ final gift.’