Westmeath living donor transplant couple set to wed

A young woman from Westmeath who gave the most precious gift of all to her partner of six years – a new kidney – appeared on the Late Late Show on Friday night last along with her partner to tell their amazing story as part of Organ Donor Awareness Week.

24-year old Kilbeggan native, Aine O'Keeffe, was a fit and healthy young woman when she stepped through the doors of Beaumont Hospital last January to donate one of her kidneys to her fiancé, Ken Byrne from Rosemount. It was the ultimate gift for Aine to give to Ken, who is the father of two children, Keelin and Fia, and when asked why she did it, the answer is simple. “It's Ken, my Ken. I couldn't be without him.

'I know in my heart he would do the same for me. I did it willingly and he didn't have to ask.”

33-year old Ken Byrne has known ill-health since he was diagnosed with kidney disease at just 17 years of age. Having watched his father, Anthony, battle kidney disease throughout his life, Ken feared that he too would require dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant.

Despite his medical difficulties, Ken continued to work at his chosen profession as a photographer, and it was through his job that he met the love of his life, Aine. She was hunting with a local hunt in Rahan Woods when a young man with a camera caught her eye. In her efforts to impress him she ended up falling flat on her face when she fell off her horse as she tried to scale a high ditch and create a perfect picture. Rather than let him know she was hurt she shouted “Did you catch that?” He laughed and gave her a thumbs up, and the sequence of photographs that Ken Byrne took of Aine O'Keefe on that memorable day six years ago now have pride of place in the hallway of the home they share in Rosemount.

Seeing his father's struggle with kidney disease spurred Ken into trying to find an explanation for what he regarded as a family curse, but it took until 2013 and medical testing of the Byrne family for them to discover that they had a very unique UMOD gene, which is a defective protein in the kidney.

Three years earlier, Ken and Aine had attended a meeting at Beaumont Hospital with Professor Peter Conlon and it was at that meeting that Aine voluteered to donate one of her kidneys to Ken. Despite just a few complications following the transplant surgery in which Ken's immune system required a cocktail of medication, the couple made a speedy and complete recovery.

“I haven't felt this good since I was 16” says Ken “I can truly enjoy life again. What Aine has done for me is indescribable, she is my queen and I can't wait to marry her. I have my life back, Aine by my side, a camera in my hand and a bright future in front of us, so bring it on.”

Aine says: 'We are all capable of saving others, and all it takes is to carry an organ donor card or tell your family your wishes to be an organ donor, so that others on transplant waiting lists might receive the gift of life. Rather than bringing your organs with you to your grave, you might be able to save someone else's life.”

Last year was a record year for living donor kidney transplants in Ireland with Beaumont Hospital conducting 50 transplants, 17 more than the previous year.

To request an Organ Donor Card from the Irish Kidney Association, simply freetext DONOR to 50050, or you can indicate your wishes on your drivers licence (represented by Code 115).