Conor McHugh writes:

Me and my friend Steve Austin are doing 10 Tough Mudders this year. In memory of my Mum who passed away 10 years ago this November.

That's over 120 miles of running through mud, clambering up fences, jumping through fire, getting electrocuted, swimming through ice and all round pain! This will be a hell of a journey up and down the UK, back home to Ireland and over to Germany to complete all 10! So we’ll need your help.

The reason for this insanity is to raise money and as much awareness as possible for the Heart and Lung Appeal at Mater Hospital and the Heart and Lung Transplant Association. It be will be 10 years this November that we sadly lost my amazing Mum as she waited patiently in need of a double lung transplant. The doctors, nurses and all the staff at the Heart and Lung unit at the Matter Hospital in Dublin were amazing in everything they did to help my mum. They do amazing work that can give people back the gift of life. Sadly time ran out for Mum and a matching donor could not be found. 

To help raise awareness and money I'm asking you to do 2 things:

1: Dig deep and donate what you can.

2: Register to be an organ donor.

It is a very rare thing to actually match with someone that is waiting for a transplant so we need as many potential donors as possible. In doing so you may be able to give someone the gift of life. It’s a beautiful thing. 10 years ago if there had been more people registered as organ donors, Mum may be with us today so please take a few moments to register. You can do so here:

https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk//register-to-donate/
http://www.ika.ie/card

We will be doing Tough Mudders on each of these dates:

Saturday 14th May - UK Midlands - x 1
Saturday 9th July - Dublin - x 2
Saturday 16th July - Germany x 2
Saturday 6th August - Yorkshire x 2 
Saturday 10th September - Cheshire x 1 
Saturday 24th September - London South x 2

To give you a taste of what we will be going through for 120 miles you can check this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uhFNj42Few 

My Mum was an active member of every community we lived in. She was a positive person in everything she did and even through her illness she never once complained or let it get her down. I’ll be drawing on every bit of strength and positivity she had to help me get through this challenge. I know she would be extremely proud of us doing this and helping to raise awareness, which may help others get a life saving transplant.

We will post regular updates of each event and our adventure along the way.

Huge thanks from me and Steve for all your support.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Conor-McHugh-and-Steve-Austin

Our team manager, Robert, is currently in the process of emailing all members who submitted registration forms for the Transplant Games. Therein, you should find details of costs and the date by which we should receive the completed medical forms from the Mater Hospital. 

If you have any questions, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Our Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/ihlta , is the quickest and easiest means by which to find out the very latest news from the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association.

Whether you're looking for information concerning our fundraising efforts or just to browse some of our photo galleries, Facebook is truly the best means by which to find us! We've even just passed the 1,000 likes mark. A massive thank you to all our supporters!

Most people would donate an organ, but many haven't spoken to their family about it

A report released today shows the increase in Ireland in organ donations.

MORE THAN 80% of people said they were willing to donate their own organs or those of a close family member.

However, only 50% of people said they have discussed organ donation with their family, according to the Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland (ODTI) annual report of 2015.

Last year 81 families donated the organs of a loved one, while 33 people donated their kidney to a family member.

Director of ODTI, Professor Jim Egan, said donations were needed more and more.

Last year 266 people received the gift of life. The need for organ transplants continues to increase.

Kidney transplant operations are the most common operations every year, with a total of 120 deceased kidney transplants being carried out last year. However, Egan says there is an on-going need for donations.

At the end of 2015, there were 2,015 people in Ireland on renal dialysis with End Stage Kidney Failure (ESKF) for which the only treatment option for many is kidney transplant.

Last year there was a new record set for lung transplants in Ireland. With 36 lung transplants in Ireland, it is one of the highest in Europe.

The Mater Hospital carried out the first ever combined lung and heart transplant in Ireland as well as an innovative lung transplant procedure using ex-vivo lung perfusion in 2015.

According to Egan, the procedure, which sees unhealthy lungs repaired, will “greatly enhance the potential lung donor pool”.

Donor cards

A third of the population currently carry an organ donor card.

Only 44% of people who said they would donate an organ said they carry a card.

Just over half of people agreed that the family should have the final say in what happens to your organs, but 45% of those said they have discussed organ donation with their family.