Mayo’s Michaela Morley and Brian O'Driscoll back kidney centre appeal

As she looks ahead to her 21st birthday this December, Michaela Morley, a kidney transplant recipient from Mayo, recently reunited with rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll, who lit up her Temple Street hospital room when she was a six-year-old child on dialysis. 

The pair once again came together with Michaela’s mother, Bridie, for a chat in the gardens of the Irish Kidney Association’s (IKA) National Kidney Support Centre on the grounds of Beaumont Hospital. 

The Centre is currently undergoing a major renovation, and Michaela and her family are supporting a national fundraising campaign to help complete its refurbishment ahead of its planned reopening in spring 2026.

Michaela’s story

As a little girl undergoing treatment at Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Michaela was no stranger to hospital stays. Since she was only 18 months old, Michaela attended dialysis treatment. She endured long journeys from Ballyglass, in Mayo, for the three times weekly haemodialysis treatments, an experience that became her “normal”.

Meeting Brian O’Driscoll

In May 2011, when Michaela was just six years old, she got a surprise visit from Ireland and Leinster rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll, who arrived with the Heineken Cup that the Leinster rugby team had won. Since this initial meeting, the pair have stayed in touch. In 2018, the pair came together to open the Renal and Nephrology Outpatient Unit at Temple Street, and most recently appeared together on the RTÉ Late Late Show in April 2024, promoting Organ Donor Awareness Week, the annual campaign organised by the Irish Kidney Association.

Pictured: Michaela Morley and Brian O'Driscoll

National Kidney Support Centre 

When the National Kidney Support Centre reopens in Spring 2026, it will be available free of charge to Michaela, her family, and countless other kidney patients and their loved ones from across Ireland who travel to Dublin hospitals for treatment. 

“I’m delighted to catch up with Michaela today and hear how she’s getting on,” said Brian, who is an Ambassador for CHI at Temple Street and the ISPCC.  It’s clear to see how the Irish Kidney Association has supported her family over the years. Today, we’re visiting the charity’s Support Centre, which is right across the road from Beaumont Hospital. I believe the centre will offer families of kidney patients of all ages, exactly like Michaela, great support whilst their family member is being treated in Hospital.”

When the Support Centre reopens, on the grounds of Beaumont Hospital campus, it will be a lifeline for families like the Morleys, from all over the country. 

“Before Michaela was born, we were told she wouldn’t survive, but she proved everyone wrong. She spent her first 10 weeks in hospital, and by 18 months, we were travelling four hours to Dublin, three times a week, for dialysis. That was our normal. Her transplant at Christmas time, when she was seven years old, was the best Christmas present you could hope for, and it changed everything, and we, her family, including my husband Sean and her elder brother John, are forever grateful to her donor’s family.” Bridie said.

Michaela says that the transport she received at the end of 2011 gave her life back, but she is still going through the journey.

“I’m so grateful to the donor family who made it possible. But being a kidney patient is for life. Having a place like the Support Centre makes ongoing care much more manageable - especially for families like ours who have to travel long distances and for very early appointments. I can go there to relax between appointments, go back to my room to rest, watch television, have a bite to eat and a cuppa, and chat to other people on a similar health journey.”

A word from Chief Executive of the Irish Kidney Association, Carol Moore.

Expressing her gratitude to Micheala and her mother, Bridie, who helped shine a light on the importance of the IKA’s National Kidney Support Centre. Chief Executive of the Irish Kidney Association says, “There are over 5,000 people in Ireland living with end-stage kidney disease. Just over half of them are living with a functioning kidney transplant, while the rest rely on dialysis treatment to survive.

“Acknowledging the enduring friendship between Michaela and Brian, Ms Moore highlighted the crucial role which the National Kidney Support Centre plays in supporting this diverse community as they travel from all parts of the country for complex and often lifelong care. The Support Centre, which was opened in March 2000, has always been more than just a building.” She added.

To help complete the final phase of its transformation, the IKA has launched a dedicated online fundraising campaign at www.supportkidneycentre.ie aimed at supporting the Centre’s €1.3 million renovation. With a fundraising target of €250,000 to support the project, the campaign invites the public, corporate partners, and supporters to help restore this essential resource for the kidney community.

To support the National Kidney Support Centre project, visit: www.supportkidneycentre.ie

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