Tipperary man received kidney donation from his niece 32 years after his first transplant

During Organ Donor Week, Cahir farmer Michael Fennessy is sharing his powerful transplant journey, a story of family, resilience and an extraordinary act of love from his niece and goddaughter.

Michael received a kidney transplant at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on December 16 last year thanks to Katie Daughen, who previously served as flower girl at his wedding over 30 years ago.

When her godfather needed help once again, she stepped up in a very special way by donating one of her kidneys to him, bringing an end to dialysis treatment which he had been undergoing for 13 months.

“I was 27 when I got my first transplant,” Michael recalls. “I was really struggling with my health at the time. Carmel and I had a wedding date set, the invitations were issued, but my health was in decline.

“Then, out of the blue, we got the call to say a deceased donor kidney had become available and this was just six days before we were due to marry.”

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He got the transplant on Sunday and the wedding was the following Saturday.

“It changed everything. Carmel and I decided to postpone the wedding. We didn’t know if the operation would be a success or how long I would need to recover.”

Their niece Katie, who had been chosen as the flower girl, was only seven-years-old at the time.

“She was so disappointed,” Michael laughs. “She had her little dress and was really looking forward to it.”

The couple rescheduled their nuptials a few months later, once Michael was strong enough.

“When we did get married, it was even more special as I had a new lease of life. Katie got to be our flower girl after all, and now, all these years later, she’s the one who has given me this second chance at life. It’s almost like things have come full circle.”

Katie stepped forward again in 2024, this time in an extraordinary way.

“We’ve always been close,” Michael said. “Katie is both my niece and my goddaughter from before my children were born.

When she offered to be tested, I was deeply moved. It’s not something you can ever take for granted.”

Katie was one of several family members who came forward to be screened for living donation, including her two brothers and Michael’s own children. Ultimately, it was Katie who was deemed a match and became the donor.

“Her generosity is beyond words,” Michael said. “I’ll never be able to thank her enough.”

Before the recent transplant, Michael had been receiving haemodialysis treatment for nine months at Cork University Hospital (CUH), an hour’s drive each way from his home. He later transitioned to home haemodialysis for a further four months while awaiting the transplant.

Throughout this period, he took time out to be away from the clinical environment between clinics and treatments, at the Irish Kidney Association’s (IKA) Munster Kidney Support Centre in Cork which is located within a few hundred meters of CUH.

“Having somewhere to stay or visit for a cuppa near the hospital made a huge difference, especially during the tougher days”, he said.

Michael and his wife Carmel have three adult children, and the family has long marked the anniversary of his first transplant each year.

“It’s an anniversary we’ve always honoured with a mass and in other special ways,” he said.

His journey from a young man awaiting a transplant before his wedding, to a father of three and now a grateful recipient of a second kidney transplant, underscores the life-changing and generational impact of organ donation.

“I’ve been given a second chance again. To get 32 years from the first kidney was a blessing from a deceased donor family.

And now, to have Katie give me another chance with renewed health, it’s something I’ll be forever grateful for.”

In early April, just four months after donating her kidney, Katie flew out to the United States to take up a new job and set up her new home there. Having worked in a senior position within the civil service, she continues her public service career abroad, quietly leaving behind an important legacy at home.

Katie said she was in the “very privileged position of seeing first-hand the new lease of life that a kidney transplant can give”.

“I remember when Mike got his first transplant and the difference it made to him. I have been witness to the amazing life he has built with Carmel and the kids because of that generous gift.

“When it became clear that Mike was going to need another transplant, I hadn’t a second thought about putting myself forward as a potential donor.

“I’m delighted I did and that it has worked out so well. It makes me so happy to see Mike fit and healthy again and I only hope that he gets as long out of my kidney as he did his first one.”

Organ Donor Awareness Week continues until 17 May. The lifesaving awareness campaign is organised by the Irish Kidney Association with the support of Organ Donation Transplant Ireland.

Michael and his wife Carmel on their wedding day with a young Katie Daughen (seated on floor in front of them) who was one of the flower girls. 

Michael and Carmel Fennessy collecting for the Irish Kidney Association at Aldi in Cahir on World Kidney Day