Baby girl joy for local couple after kidney transplant

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Tubber native Briona Reynolds received the 'gift of life' from her partner, Shane Hunter from Athlone, when he donated his kidney in what the couple called a 'no-brainer' decision.

Now, the couple have been able to start their young family by welcoming their first child into the world late last year.

Briona and Shane are sharing their story as part of Organ Donor Awareness week, which is taking place from May 10 to 17.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent, Briona shared the only symptom she had before her diagnosis was tiredness, which she put down to working too hard.

"I was working at the weekends and I was in college at the time, so I was just extra tired. I had to take nearly every Monday off to sleep after the weekend of work. I decided to get bloods done, and they showed the kidneys were struggling a bit. By 2022, they dropped low enough that I needed dialysis and transplant."

At the time, Shane and Brionna were a newly-engaged couple waiting to start their married life together, and in the most romantic gesture of all, he decided to donate a kidney to secure their future together.

"He's been with me since before I got the diagnosis, so he's been on the whole journey with with me. He saw me deteriorate over the couple of years, and he was more than happy to to give me one of his kidneys to give me back a bit of life. He was there the whole journey and it was a no-brainer."

The couple got married in September 2022, and welcomed their daughter Frankie into the world just six months ago.

"I was advised not to get pregnant before the transplant, because it wouldn't have been that safe. So the transplant gave us that opportunity to start family.

"It was an issue we had to face, the possibility that we might not be able to start a family. Up until 2015, I had no reason to believe I wouldn’t, and I always wanted to become a mother. It's kind of a hard one, but I think I kind of always knew it would happen one way or another. We're just so so lucky to have Frankie now."

Due to her kidney condition, Briona and Shane had to stay vigilant during the pregnancy.

"The doctors had to keep an eye on me, but luckily everything was smooth sailing. There were concerns that my kidney function would drop, but it bounced back really quickly after the pregnancy, which was brilliant because it doesn't always happen that way.

"I have to go for check-ups every four to six months, but other than that, we have just been living a normal life since the transplant. Now my mind isn't as much on my own health, I'm too busy thinking about the baby."

The couple are delighted to have been blessed with Frankie, who is a very calm and settled little girl, and they are now looking forward to continuing a simple life together with their small family.

"She's been very good, and she hasn't caused too many sleepless nights! We're just looking to have a normal, simple life and we're so grateful for having Frankie. If we're lucky again in the future, that would be brilliant as well."

Organ Donor Awareness Week will take place from May 10 to 17. The life saving awareness campaign is organised by the Irish Kidney Association in association with Organ Donation Transplant Ireland and will be launched by the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill on May 6 at the Mansion House in Dublin.The key message around the campaign, ‘Don’t Leave Your Loved Ones in Doubt’ , is to highlight the importance of family conversation about organ donation and sharing your wishes.

For more information on the campaign or how to get an organ donor card visit www.ika.ie/donorweek/