Michelle’s journey: ‘There’s light at the end of the tunnel’

By Chiara Alfieri

“My donor is the top of my list of people to thank because I couldn’t have done any of it without them.”

These are the words of Michelle Geraghty, a 46-year-old kidney transplant recipient with polycystic kidney disease.

A former practicing solicitor, Michelle recently graduated from a Masters in Global Media and Communications at the University of Galway and is now an intern for the Electoral Commission. Speaking to Galway Pulse, she opens up fully about her experience conveying positivity and hope.

“Just over two years on and I’m very happy to say I’m doing well. I just finished the masters and I’m back working five days a week.”

Diagnosed early in her 20s, she was told that her kidney would eventually fail in her 30s.

Michelle explains that she did not fully realise what this diagnosis would mean for her future until later in her life.

“I was living my best life. I was having a great time. It was hard to get my head around the fact that I had this disease, because it was invisible.”

So, after graduating in corporate law at the University of Galway and a postgraduate LLB degree, she decided to pack her bags and travel the world for two years.

“I just wanted to get the most out of everything,” she says.

A journey through dialysis

She tells of her journey through dialysis, suffering kidney failure shortly after having her child, and the challenges it brought along.

“I had a machine at home and for eight hours a night, seven nights a week, and I was hooked up to this machine. But it worked for me having a small child at home.”

“There are a lot of ups and downs or side effects, and it’s obviously not easy. But it’s a blessing that dialysis is an available option for kidney patients.”

In tackling this journey, Michelle says she wanted to use social media to recount the ups and downs and share some practical information.

“I started making videos on TikTok about dialysis, and I tried to show the things that I could do, despite being on dialysis rather than highlighting all the negatives.”

“I didn’t ever want to come across with some kind of toxic positivity, I mostly wanted to share that it’s not the end of your life and it is a phase in your life that’s difficult.”

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

Getting the call and the Importance of Donating

Five years later, after an arduous journey, Michelle recounts when she received the phone call in August 2022 from the hospital giving her the news that there was a kidney for her.

“It was just fantastic to finally get the call and to arrive at the hospital, go through all the testing and find out we could proceed,” she recalled.

“I’m just eternally grateful. My donor is anonymous, I’ll never know who they are. I’ll never meet their family. But they’re on my mind every time I reach a milestone because I couldn’t have done any of it without them.”

“I was very lucky and even luckier that my kidney is incredibly strong.”

Michelle highlights over and over again the importance of donating and getting informed on such topics.

“It just emphasized for me that if the family of the donor hadn’t made that decision, I could still be on dialysis now.”

Speaking of her ‘luck’ in receiving an organ, she acknowledges that a donation can truly change lives, including those around her.

“My son was watching his mom on a dialysis machine, keeping me alive for the first five years of his life.”

“Now he has a healthy mother again,” she says, always bringing optimism to her story.

The Irish Kidney Association

When asked about support organisations, Michelle spoke with high regard about the Irish Kidney Association.

“It’s an independent charity and they offer incredible support, not just to kidney patients, but to their families, their carers, anybody who needs support.”

Founded in 1978, the organisation is the only one in Ireland providing concrete support to patients with chronic diseases and their families.

“They offer peer support where they put you in touch with other transplant or kidney patients who have gone down the kidney journey and they know what it’s like to live that experience.”

Speaking of awareness, Michelle makes a plea to those who think they have symptoms: “it’s really important, especially for people over 50, to get yourself checked out, especially if you have symptoms like high blood pressure or fatigue or swelling in your legs.”

“If you have questions, it’s useful to speak not just to experts but to people who understand what it’s like to live this experience.”

Find out how to get a Donor Card here.

Check out Michelle’s project on Living Organ Donation here.