SIX-year-old Harmony Tully from Limerick city is finally living the childhood her parents once feared she might never get to see, thanks to her father’s life-saving kidney donation last year and the dedication of the medical teams who cared for her in Ireland and the UK.
As her 10-year-old brother Kyron and her kidney donor father Jonathan Tully prepare to take part in the Regeneron Great Limerick Run this May bank holiday weekend, raising funds for the Irish Kidney Association, they are also sharing their story ahead of Organ Donor Awareness Week (May 16–23), in the hope of highlighting the life-changing impact of organ donation.
For Donna Leo (32) and Jonathan Tully (36) life with their young son Kyron changed comletely and plans were put on hold following the arrival of Harmony and her devastating chronic kidney disease diagnosis.
Their world was soon further transformed by the unexpected arrival of twin boys, Kayden and Kameron, in December 2024, turning them into a family of six and shifting every focus to Harmony’s survival, hospital care, and holding their family together through five years of travel for treatment and uncertainty.
Harmony was born on December 27, 2019, with underdeveloped kidneys which could not function properly. Shortly after birth, she was rushed to Crumlin hospital, where she spent the first weeks of her life.
Hospital care became a constant part of the family’s reality, with long admissions, repeated treatments, and ongoing uncertainty about what each stage of her condition would bring.
As Harmony grew, her condition required increasingly complex treatment. By the age of three, she began home dialysis, and it was initially daunting for her parents, who underwent several weeks of training to learn how to manage their child’s treatment safely at home.
She would spend up to 10 hours every night connected to a machine that kept her alive. This continued for over a year and, in 2024, she underwent major surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where both of her kidneys were removed in preparation for a future transplant.
Harmony’s care became even more demanding, with haemodialysis three times a week at Temple Street Hospital, forcing her mother Donna and her into exhausting 5am journeys from Limerick.
During this already intense period, Jonathan, who was a fit and healthy man and a talented rugby player with his local club, Richmond RFC, didn’t hesitate in making the decision to step forward as a living donor for his daughter.
After donating one of his kidneys, he had to step back from the sport he loved.
Before the surgery, they spent precious family time together through a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland Paris with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a memory that Donna says they will always treasure.
“It was a dream come true for Harmony and she still talks about it and loved meeting characters dressed up as princesses. She loves dressing up as a princess,” she said.
In May 2025, Harmony received her life-saving kidney transplant from her father.
Jonathan said:Â “I didn’t hesitate for a second. You’d do anything for your child. But it was a big worry that she would come through it. The relief now, seeing her living a normal life, going to school, dancing, that makes it all worth it,”
Today, the difference in Harmony is described by her mother as “night and day.”
“Simple things that were once impossible, because she had to protect the dialysis tube connected to her body, like having a bath, swimming, or playing freely, are now things she really enjoys. Harmony is six years old now and thriving. She is in school, dancing, swimming, and has even won a gold medal.”
Over the May bank holiday weekend, Jonathan and Kyron will take part in the Great Limerick Run to raise funds for the Irish Kidney Association. Donations can be made online on idonate.ie/donnaleo.