By creator to www.leinsterleader.ie
Because the Covid-19 ‘social distancing’ turns into the norm for households now, there may be one family in Co Kildare who’ve been on full lockdown for months now. The O’Sullivan-Goldsmith household from Ballymore Eustace contains mum Kerrieanne and pop, Ben, 18-year-old William and 13-year-old Matilda.
Lockdown and self-isolation have been obligatory measures for teenager William who’s awaiting a transplant surgical procedure, the reward of a kidney from his mum Kerrieanne.
With a practicality method above his years, William sees isolation as merely one other step to his surgical procedure and a return to a full and interesting life. Anybody who is aware of the household will know they do not do issues by half and have a depraved sense of enjoyable and group dedication. They moved from close to Johnstown to Ballymore Eustace 9 years in the past, with Grandad Joe and Nana Vera following quickly after.
Mum Kerrieanne opened an area trend and reward store, Tilly’s, joined the native Neighborhood Growth Affiliation and is now the sitting chair. Husband Ben joined the Tidy Cities and took on PR duties for a time, with Grandad Joe becoming a member of the Tidy Cities staff and Nana Vera supporting each venture or fundraiser within the village.
William, a pupil of St Kevin’s Neighborhood School, Dunlavin has transferred a 12 months again to fifth 12 months to facilitate transplant acitivity. Eighteen months in the past, the outgoing teenager who enjoys music, soccer, basketball and life basically, started to expertise kidney issues.
In 2010, when William was virtually 9 years outdated, he was the recipient of a profitable kidney transplant from his aunt. At that younger age, he endured in depth transplant work-up-process, together with a number of blood and tissue matching, vaccinationboosters, ultrasounds, xrays and scans.
“It is a full-on journey simply to get on the transplant checklist, by no means thoughts get a kidney,”, he mentioned. “Sadly kidney transplants don’t final endlessly”. So now he and mum Kerrieanne are going by way of all of the inflexible testing once more. He’s not one to complain.
The final ten years have been good years, he says and he developed a love of music, learnt to play the guitar, and regardless of not being tall, he turned a great basketball participant. The O’Sullivan-Goldsmith household are additionally famous for his or her sense of devilment so there isn’t a scarcity of laughter in that household, together with being avid pet lovers and group volunteers.
“I developed a love of music and was very fortunate with my major faculty, Blessington No 1 faculty. Our principal Lilian Murphy is massive on creating the all-rounder, which I can relate to now. I’m not the tallest however that did not cease me taking part in basketball with coach Lenny MacMillan after faculty and in summer time camp.
“I performed classical guitar once I was solely 4 years outdated; my mum discovered me a fantastic man within the Dublin College of Guitar referred to as Pat Fagan, I used to be studying sheet music from a younger age.This has developed right into a eager curiosity in music.
“I take courses with Colm O’Hara within the Millenium College of Music, Manor Kilbride, and in addition began taking part in with the Kilbride & Lakeside Senior ensemble. My bed room is sort of a mini recording studio. I acquired a Roland synthasiser for Christmas and it is simply brill!”
From an early age, William offered with some kidney points and was used to coping with medical points as a a toddler. “I’m very laid again, I have been used to coping with the medical stuff since I used to be born, I’m totally ‘within the know’ of my care each good and dangerous, Mum at all times insisted that I understood each remedy, each surgical procedure, each med, each course of.
“She’s not massive on surprises and she or he would by no means inform me tales; we maintain it actual. There is a story of once I was 5 years outdated and in intensive care post-surgery.
“Mr Quinn, the surgeon, had reconstructed my bladder utilizing the urethra of a defunct kidney I used to be born with; he additionally created a Mitrofanoff valve utilizing my appendix. For sure, it was a giant day in my surgical life and certainly, a significant surgical procedure in itself. Anyway my mom was up the partitions, I usually took a sure med to forestall bladder spasms particularly as a spasm would happen when there was a tube or drain current. She requested the nurse on quite a few events about it however the nurse mentioned no, as a result of I had a epidural in for ache reduction, that the spasm med wasn’t obligatory.
“Alongside got here Mr Quinn doing his rounds, poor me lifted out of bed in spasm and Mr Quinn requested me if I used to be okay. 5-year-old me responded: “No, I am not okay! I want oxybutynin now!”
“It gave him a fantastic snicker {that a} 5 12 months outdated knew precisely what meds he wanted for what! It is good although, full autonomy. There may be lots I can’t do however I concentrate on what I can do and what I like doing.
“Fortunately social media is nice for all of the lads to remain in contact. I’ve a fantastic bunch round me they know who they’re – my ‘Booners’. Nana and Granda cannot come as much as go to now throughout social shutdown however their social media expertise have improved no finish.
“I do a number of soccer stats on social media which retains me sane and positive it is by no means too quiet with Mammy Okay round. She determined that if felt like Christmas so she had us celebrating Springmas – in Christmas jammies and jumpers on, consuming rings round myself – she has us consuming dessert after breakfast!”
How are they coping now having been in in prolonged lockdown?
“Mam actually is the craic, my mad mom. She calls breakfast dessert elevenses and dessert after lunch she calls afternoon tea, and dessert after dinner is simply dessert. Ben drives her bananas however she hasn’t killed him but; I heard her saying what a fantastic job he did on gutters and portray the gate sooo as we speak he’s within the good books I reckon, Rolling Stones collect no moss!”
Going again to his present well being state of affairs, a keep at Temple Road in 2017 revealed points, William’s bloods have been loopy and his ‘new’ kidney wasn’t glad.
“Head of Infectious Illness Professor Gavan was on the case,” mentioned William. “Mum stored pointing to a small coldsore up my nostril, and naturally, it was ultimately found the chilly sore virus was the reason for the problem. I had IVIG which is intravenous imuno globulin remedy. I tolerated it nicely and it gave me one other window however I acquired very sick once more round Christmas 2018.”
William was later transferred to the grownup companies at Tallaght College Hospital final 12 months. “I needed to begin dialysis and had surgical procedure to insert a PD catheter”. The transition he discovered emotionally draining.
“Nevertheless, on touchdown myself a brand new staff in TUI, my confidence is again, they’re actually implausible. It has been a rollercoaster however I really feel I am actually in secure palms.
“Dr Peter Lavin is my lead marketing consultant who was appointed Director of Drugs just some visits in, it hasn’t impacted on my care, Maura Looney was my first level of contact; she’s a Kerry girl and a fantastic human being. I needed to begin dialysis and had surgical procedure to insert a PD catheter. Professor Flynn did the surgical procedure and it was a hit.
William and his sister Tilly pictured snowboarding
Bualadh bos to St Kevin’s Neighborhood School
“I began on guide which suggests I needed to do exchanges all through the day, and my faculty was so useful. Mr Cleere, my 12 months head, actually gave me his workplace and the varsity caretaker Billy hung the hooks precisely the place I wanted them. Due to them I acquired to maintain a number of regular going, which isn’t to be taken without any consideration.
“With the assistance of the house dialysis staff in Tallaght Helen, Donna ,John, Annama and Aishling, I progressed onto Peritoneal Dialysis in a single day machine which we take supply of two palates of dialysis tools each month, We’ve got a chosen dialysis room that I am going in and hook as much as machine and sleep, it is good to maintain it out of the craic and banter area of my bed room and my dad and mom can maintain the dialysis room as clear as they like, as I’m a standard messy teen.
“With dialysis all sorted and dealing nicely, I felt so significantly better – in truth I didn’t realise how sick I used to be feeling until I might reached the purpose of feeling higher!”
Now all of the checks and work resulting in getting onto the kidney transplant checklist have been accomplished, together with psych analysis however after all, with the positivity and upbeat mentality of the household, younger William handed with flying colors!
Final month, they acquired the decision from the Transplant Unit in Beaumont to say William has been activated to the checklist, and additional checks have been carried out lately at Tallaght Hospital.
“This implies I have to keep nicely as a cadaver kidney can come anytime. Our telephones are prepared. Mum has began stay associated donor work up in an effort to give me a kidney, albeit throughout the Covid-19 restrictions we learnt the stay associated donor programme has been suspended.
“The entire Covid-19 is a big spanner within the course of – however Nana Vera is nice for the saints and candles, so I’ll take all the nice will going.”
As quickly because the coronavirus disaster loomed, Kerrieanne and Ben jumped into crimson alert.
“There was no grocery store insanity, Mum had it all completed earlier than it dawned on anybody! We went on full lockdown early. Folks don’t perceive the danger we’re below with regular flu – by no means thoughts one thing as critical as this,” mentioned William
“I’m immune suppressed, I take suppressant remedy to cease my physique creating antibodies wanted to struggle all the things. I’m additionally asthmatic, albeit it’s below management. A sneeze is explanation for concern for me!”
There isn’t any negativity or resentment in William’s tone. So for these of you who resent the Covid-19 restrictions – take a leaf out of this younger man’s ebook – it is lockdown he wants whereas awaiting a second kidney transplant.
“It is okay for now being so remoted however I’ll battle if the gobs***** trigger this to go on longer than obligatory…. Cop on, keep dwelling and wash your palms, people,” he concluded.
William O’Sullivan
