My Story

In December  2024 after 4 years of Dialysis I received a kidney transplant.This is a life changing gift for me for which I will be eternally greatful.  I was cared for so well by the staff in the transplant unit of St. Damiens ward at Beaumont Hospital.  Now I want to give something back to them and help the next people who come into this ward. 

In my recovery from the transplant I found it very hard after my surgery to adjust the bed to sit up and lie down. I often required the assistance of the already busy staff to do this for me. Whilst there are some electical beds in the ward mine was not one of them. It is very difficult to manage a manual bed post surgery when your body has already been through so much. If I could raise enough money to buy one bed for the ward it would take a lot of burden off the staff and patients.  There are currently 11 manual beds and 10 electrical beds on the ward. 

Myself, my wife Lorraine and some of our friends are going to challenge ourselves to swim 1 KM on the 4th of May at 11 am in Baginbun Bay, Fethard On Sea, Co. Wexford. We will also have a fun dip and donate for anyone who wishes to take part in the event but cannot swim the 1 KM route.  We would like to make this a fun and happy event to spend time with loved ones and friends for a great cause. We encourage you to bring a picnic and make the most of the day.  Hopefully see you all there, we are really looking forward to this event.  All we need now is the sun to shine. 

I would also like to express our sinscere gratitude to the home renal therapies team in W.H.R and Dr. Kelly and his team who take great care of me both when I was on dialysis and after my surgery. 

Many thanks for taking time out to donate to this great cause. I really appreciate it. 

Regards

Stefan Whelan