JUST a mile down the road from the family farm where he grew up in Anglesborough, William O’Halloran, a 42-year-old beef farmer, continues to work the land but not with ease.
Married to Annette and raising their four-year-old son, Darragh, William’s life today is shaped not only by the demands of farming but by his inherited illness, polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which requires dialysis.
His two siblings who live nearby share the same disease.
PKD is a hereditary condition where fluid-filled cysts slowly develop in the kidneys, often not causing serious problems until adulthood, when it can lead to kidney damage and failure.
“I was diagnosed around 16,” William says. “We were tested after we found out Dad had it. All three of us – myself and my two sisters, Noreen, and Bridann – were diagnosed with PKD but our symptoms didn’t start to develop until we were in our late 30s.”
Their father, Tom, also lived with kidney disease and was in his 40s when he received his first kidney transplant in 1990, which lasted three years before being rejected. His second, in 1996, lasted nine years. For the final 15 years of his life, he relied on dialysis until his passing in June 2020.”
“Dad was a great man,” his son recalls. “He farmed, he never gave up, but the final 15 years on dialysis took its toll. It’s tough going when your life revolves around machines and hospitals.”
The family suffered another heartbreak just 15 weeks after Tom’s passing, when their mother Ann died from cancer.
Today, all three of the O’Halloran siblings continue their kidney disease journey.
Noreen, the eldest, received a kidney transplant in March 2013 after spending 17 months on dialysis.
Bridann, who lives in the family home, will start dialysis soon and go onto the transplant list.
For William, the last two years have been particularly hard. Prone to kidney infections and complications, his health declined sharply in late 2023.
He now travels three times a week to Cork University Hospital, leaving his house at 6am for four-hour dialysis sessions.
The physical strain has meant scaling back on his work.
“I come home from my dialysis with no energy and have to go to bed for a few hours before I get up again to do some work,” he says.
Now on the transplant list, William says that “getting a transplant would transform my life. I see it with my sister Noreen what a difference it’s made.”
William is sharing his family’s story to raise awareness about organ donation – something he says “gives people time – time with their families, time to work, time to live fully”.
“A donor gave my sister Noreen her life back, and two donors gave our dad more precious years with us. I hope someone can do the same for me and Bridann.”
He speaks with heartfelt gratitude to the families of organ donors who made that profound life changing decision.
“My dad never got to meet my son. I want to be there – present and active – for my son as he grows up. I want to be well to be part of his life, and maybe even meet my grandchildren someday,” William shares.
He also credits the Irish Kidney Association for its support through the years.
“They’ve always been there for us, and by sharing my family’s story, I hope more people will understand how important organ donation is,” William said.
To find out more about how to obtain an organ donor card, visit ika.ie.
