'We take pride in our little angel' deceased Laois toddler donor saved four lives

The heartbroken parents of a Laois two year old girl who died in 2022, have revealed how her donated organs has saved four others, from a premature baby to a young mother.

To highlight the need for more organ donations on Organ Donor Awareness Week 2024, Timahoe mother Marie Kealy has bravely spoken publically about her toddler Hannah becoming an organ donor.

“In July 2022 our world was turned upside down when our 2 year old little girl was in a tragic accident and four days later passed away in Temple Street children's hospital.

“Hannah was our only child, the light of our lives and ruled the house. She had the wildest blondest hair and the darkest brown eyes.

“She was a strong, independent, funny, easy going little lady and always did things her own way. She loved nothing more than being outside and helping her daddy Denis feed the calves in the evenings.

“She loved having a job to do, whether it was helping emptying the dishwasher or filling the washing machine, she was always beside me.

“After a couple of days in Temple Street, we were told Hannah was brain stem dead with no hope of recovery.

“We made the profound decision to donate our little girl’s organs. If even just one family weren't put into the situation then that enough but our little Hannah went on to save four families.

“Her heart was donated to a little boy, a part of her liver to a premature baby, her small bowel and semi colon to another small boy, and her kidneys to a young mammy.

“She became the miracle that those four families hoped for, for so long, and that brings us some peace. To think there are parts of our little girl working away in other people is a surreal feeling at times,” Marie said.

The couple with the Organ Donation Transplant Ireland team. Photos: Andres Poveda 

She praises the staff at Temple Street for their care of Hannah, and the Organ Donation Transplant Ireland staff for their compassion.

“While I can’t begin to imagine the anguish for parents with a critically ill child waiting for a transplant, I am too familiar with the pain of losing a child. It is this shared experience that drove myself and Denis to choose organ donation for Hannah.

“The reality is that children, too, can be organ donors. As parents, we would have done anything to save her, and if it meant accepting an organ from another child, we would have embraced it.

“Knowing that her donation could save multiple lives, including children, brought us solace in our grief. Her memory lives on in those lives and others she has touched by her precious gift.

“Just four years before we tragically lost Hannah, my husband's uncle became an organ donor and gave the gift of life to a stranger who received a liver transplant.

“Knowing his selfless legacy influenced our decision. Then, just last year, one of my cousins underwent a kidney transplant, made possible by the generosity of a deceased donor's family.

“This act of kindness had a ripple effect, touching the lives of not only the recipient but their families, friends, and communities.

“It reinforced my family’s belief in the power of organ donation. It saves lives. We take pride in our little angel, and we will ensure that her baby brother knows about her courageous deed when he is older,” Marie said.

New Irish legislation, called the Human Tissue Bill, signed into law by the President, Michael D. Higgins, on February 28 this year, will introduce an 'opt out register' for people who do not want to be donors, while still giving bereaved families the final say.

Organ Donor Awareness Week 2024 takes place from April 20 to 27 and is organised by the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) in association with the HSE’s Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI).

The public is being asked to mark Organ Donor Awareness Week by getting together to discuss organ donation with their loved ones and letting them know their wishes about organ donation.

For donor cards see www.ika.ie/get-a-donor-card or phone the IKA on 01 6205306