Grandmother releases memoir ‘Analysis to Dialysis and Beyond’
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A GRANDMOTHER and kidney transplant recipient has released a memoir, titled ‘Analysis to Dialysis and Beyond’, to raise funds for the dialysis units in Tallaght University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital.
Marguerite Sneyd, 76, from Springfield in Tallaght, has been involved in local writing groups for many years, but in recent years developed a preference for writing about her own lived experiences instead of writing fiction.
Marguerite Sneyd holding her book ‘Analysis to Dialysis and Beyond’
This followed on from a kidney transplant she received in Beaumont Hospital in 2017, after spending two years receiving dialysis in Tallaght University Hospital as her kidneys were failing.
“When I was in my mid-30s I had to go to a thyroid doctor, because I had an overactive thyroid,” explained Ms Sneyd.
“I was sent for blood tests because of that, and they found that my kidneys were impaired but I felt fine and didn’t have any problems.”
At this point, Ms Sneyd was focused on raising her two sons, Philip and Andrew, alongside her husband Patrick, and didn’t encounter any further problems with her kidneys until she was 50.
Then, after undergoing blood tests, she was referred to the Nephrology Clinic in Tallaght University Hospital and several years later was added to the kidney transplant list – and received a kidney from an anonymous donor in 2017.
“After I had the kidney transplant, it woke me up to how short life is,” added Ms Sneyd.
“I was so thankful to get a new lease of life from my donor’s kidney.”
This caused Ms Sneyd to reflect on her life, and she thought about her son, Philip, who lives in Japan with his wife and his two children.
“I suddenly thought, ‘Gosh, maybe my grandchildren would want to know about my life’,” she said.
“So I initially wrote it for my grandchildren in Japan, and then I thought I should properly release it as a book.
“I decided to offer all the proceeds of sales of the book to the dialysis sections of Beaumont and Tallaght hospitals.”
The book was a family affair, with Ms Sneyd’s husband typing up her handwritten notes, while Philip, who is a professional illustrator, illustrated the book, and Andrew proofread it.
‘Analysis to Dialysis and Beyond’ details Ms Sneyd’s life, growing up in Inchicore with her siblings, working in the Department of Justice as a civil servant when she was in her 20s, and then going on to have a family and later receiving a kidney transplant.
The self-published book has been a roaring success, with Ms Sneyd selling over 500 copies, and she’s hoping to sell even more to continue raising funds for the two hospitals that looked after her when she was ill.
‘Analysis to Dialysis and Beyond’ is available for €10 including postage and packaging, and can be ordered by emailing Ms Sneyd at sneydmp@gmail.com.
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