Grieving family in appeal to public to carry donor cards
FIONA DIED AWAITING TRANSPLANT
Wednesday March 10 2010
A GRIEVING family who laid their beloved daughter and sister to rest last Saturday have appealed to people to carry organ donor cards.
Fiona Farrell (33) of Clonsilla, Gorey, passed away at St. Vincent's Hospital last Wednesday. She had been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of three, and for the last two and half years, she had been waiting on a lung transplant which sadly never materialised.
Her family this week paid tribute to a kind, loyal, independent and strong woman who 'never complained and bore her last battle with fortitude.'
In a tribute to Fiona sent to this newspaper, her parents, Dick and Statia, and sisters, Sheila, Geraldine and Maria said that 'if Fiona could have had one final wish, it would have been to have a successful lung transplant.' They called for members of the community to carry an organ donor card. 'Through this simple gesture, many lives could be saved. Cards can be picked up at any pharmacy,' they said.
Her sister Maria explained this week that Fiona had often talked about going to the local newspaper to appeal for organs, and she felt frustrated that just one transplant was conducted on a CF patient since Ireland first started to conduct transplants in the Mater in 2007, whereas they were doing up to fifteen a year in England. A second one was conducted in Ireland in the past six months.
Fiona also went on Joe Duffy's Lifeline show when there was a lot of media interest in the new CF unit for St. Vincent's, to talk about her CF care in Dublin.
Fiona also felt that there was a lack of coordination between the various players in the transplant field. She also felt that the Government's policy on 'opt in, opt out', was too slow to be implemented. Many other European countries have already implemented such policies and transplants are much more common.
Fiona had decided against a transplant eight years ago, as she was still doing well, but went on the transplant list here in September 2007.
She received two offers, but unfortunately was not considered compatible. In a last desperate fight for survival, Fiona switched to the UK transplant list in October.
Fiona's Funeral Mass was held at St. Michael's Church last Saturday morning.
She was laid to rest in Castletown Cemetery.
Mourners donated generously to the CF Association. Donor cards must be signed by the holder and a next of kin. They are available in local pharmacies and doctors surgeries.
