The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
NO STOPPING LITTLE DÚN CHAOIN TROOPER
THE outlook for Tomás O’Dowd – the four-year-old boy of Amanda and Denis, and little brother to Micheál [6] – was heartbreaking even before he was born. But, to quote his mum, “He’s a fighter is our Tomáisín”.
It’s at University Hospital Kerry [UHK] that Amanda and her little boy from Dún Chaoin have met this reporter today; a chest infection has kept him in Cashel Ward since midweek. With his long, blonde hair, he’s engrossed in colouring on the page given to him by a kind nurse and only looks up when someone enters the room – but when he does, his little eyes ask a thousand questions. As quiet as he is today, though, “he does plenty talking when he wants to!”, mum assures me.
That he’s still a part of this family’s life is something of a miracle. When Amanda was expecting him, she was told 22 weeks into her pregnancy that her boy’s chances of survival were virtually zero. A blockage in a valve to Tomás’ kidney had put his life in grave danger. A lack of amniotic fluid around him had left his lungs underdeveloped and his kidneys seriously damaged.
“I went for a scan in Dublin and we were told Tomás would not survive birth,” Amanda says. “I was five months’ pregnant at that time. But he got to 38 weeks’ gestation and was born in Cork University Maternity Hospital after that.”
His life began with a fight, and he hasn’t stopped battling since. Placed on life-support, and less than a week into his time on this planet,
Amanda and Denis were told at ICU that they needed to be ready for the news every parent fears most. But in less than 24 hours, his lungs began to work by themselves. His position was still precarious, however, and at two-weeks-old, it was confirmed he had end-stage kidney failure.
“The first year was very hard,”
Amanda says. “There was a big chance we were going to lose him. It wasn’t until he hit the three-month mark that he was strong enough to survive the operation to unblock the tube to his kidney.”
But the little battler came through these obstacles and much more besides – and as he scribbles with his colouring taking the odd break to look up at the television and the thrilling dramas unfolding on ‘Shaun the Sheep’, he looks no less content with the world than your typical four-year-old.
He reached this point with only five per cent kidney function and is currently undergoing 10-hour home dialysis sessions six times each week. He plays with the same enthusiasm you’d expect from any boy his age – but his medical problems have impacted his energy levels. His appetite is also understandably poor and he takes regular supplements to gain weight and keep his energy ticking over.
Amanda is very happy with how his treatment is going, and he is currently being assessed for entry onto the list for a kidney. The family is hopeful some relation can provide him with the adult kidney he needs. He is also on the verge of weighing 12 killogrammes, the weight required to undergo such a procedure.
“He is able to do a lot of things, but we hope he’ll be flying altogether once he gets the transplant,” Amanda says. “Please God, he’ll be able for school in Seppencils, tember. What we want to get out there is to look into becoming an organ donor – and to get the message across that there are children also, like Tomás, who need adult organs. You must also discuss your wishes to be an organ donor with your next-ofkin, regardless of whether you’ve signed up or not, and people need to know that.”
She speaks highly of the medical professionals who helped Tomás exceed all expectations, including Dr Clodagh Kenny; Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin; Dr Mary Waldron, and Cashel Ward staff. She also praises the Irish Kidney Association [IKA], whose Organ Donor Awareness Week runs from March 31 until April 7. Its launch took place at Mansion House, Dublin, yesterday, to which Tomás was invited.
A coffee morning and cake sale in support of the IKA Kerry Branch will take place from 11am to 2pm in Dingle’s Gáirdín Mhuire on Easter Sunday, not far from Tomás home townland in Com Dhíneol. To obtain a donor card, you can phone 01 6205306; text DONOR to 50050, or visit www.ika.ie/card. Further information is available at www. organdonation.ie or by emailing gwenodonoghue1@gmail.com.