New hope for Bohola transplant patient

Katie Flannery

THERE was some good news for Bohola native Rachel O’Hora when it was confirmed last Friday that a locum surgeon had been secured to carry out Rachel’s urgently required pancreas and kidney transplant surgery.
This is a life changing outcome for the Dublin-based school teacher who was also diagnosed with diabetes at age eight. As a result she must take five injections a day on top of her nightly nine-hour dialysis routine.
Rachel, the daughter of local vintners Marty and Marie O’Hora of Teach O’Hora in Kiltimagh, has been campaigning tirelessly for the last number of weeks to create awareness of the severe problem that followed the retirement of the country’s only pancreatic transplant surgeon, former All-Ireland winning Dublin footballer, Dr David Hickey.
Hickey’s retirement eight months ago left the country’s pancreas transplant patients in limbo. The doctor offered to stay on to train another surgeon, however his proposal was rejected.
It was confirmed to Rachel last Friday following an assessment in Beaumont Hospital that she is now officially on the waiting list for transplantation.
Ms O’Hora was told that a surgical team have now been put in place and a locum will be flown in to provide on the job training to that team.
A spokesman confirmed a link has been established with the pancreas transplantation programme in Edinburgh that will oversee the transfer programme in St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin.
The average wait for a kidney transplant in Ireland is two to two and a half years, however the fact Rachel requires both a kidney and pancreas transplant may see her receiving surgery sooner.
Over the last few weeks the local community have been relentlessly campaigning to achieve awareness of this cause. This has included meetings, petitions and the establishment of the website and Facebook page www.keeplives.org all of which have received a huge response.
The cause was also helped by Dublin-based campaign www.uplift.ie, whose petition obtained in excess of 15,000 signatures that were recently handed into Beaumont hospital.
Ms O’Hora said: “I am delighted with the news. The next step is to create awareness of organ donation. In recent years the number of transplant patients is increasing. However, the number of donors is staying static. Something needs to be done.
“The process to become a donor is quite simple,” Rachel added, “you can pick up a donor card at your local pharmacy or have it stated on your driving licence. Becoming a donor costs nothing but could save a person’s life.”
For more information on becoming a donor you can visit www.organdonation.ie

Katie Flannery from Craggagh, Balla, is a First Year student at Limerick University (UL) studying Journalism and New Media. She is a past pupil of St Louis, Secondary School, Kiltimagh.