Portarlington man, Kevin McCormack came up with a novel way to celebrate his 60th birthday recently by donating €3,735 to the Liver Transplant Unit in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin.
Kevin explained, that having been the recipient of a liver transplant last year he felt that he had “won the Lotto when a donor liver became available”.
When his family held a party to celebrate his 60th birthday recently he decided, that, instead of receiving presents he would ask family, friends, and former business associates to donate money to the Transplant Unit in St Vincent’s Hospital who as Kevin put it gave him a “second chance at life”.
Kevin’s health problems began in 2013 when he was diagnosed with Auto Immune Hepatitis and he developed cirrhosis of the liver.
Over the next two years despite receiving intensive treatment at the Beacon Clinic and St Vincent’s Hospital his health deteriorated.
He was placed on a transplant list in December 2015 and in February 2016 he got a call from the Transplant Team to say that a suitable donor liver had become available.
Operation
Kevin underwent the successful eight-hour transplant operation under Professor Diarmuid Houlihan and his team and remained in hospital for a further two weeks post-surgery.
Kevin returned to his home in Kilbride where under the watchful eye of his wife Una he has made a full recovery.
Kevin says he has many people to thank especially the family of the donor who despite their own terrible loss phoned the Hospital on four occasions the day of the operation to ascertain how the operation was going, he was very moved by their generosity and concern for his wellbeing.
He also thanked all who contributed to his collection for the hospital.
Kevin was also full of praise for our Health System which he says receives a lot of negative press, yet his own experience was the total opposite and lifesaving.
“My own doctor, Dr. Montague was a great support to Una and myself, he was constantly on the phone reassuring us both before and after the operation and everyone I met in the Beacon Clinic and in St Vincent’s were so professional and kind, they were just wonderful. The nuns should be so proud of the great hospital they created in St Vincent’s.”
As Kevin continues the road back to full health he made an appeal to all to sign and carry organ donor cards with them as it gave him a second chance at life.
“I have my Lotto inside of me thanks to a very generous family who I do not know and never met,” he said.
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