The best brother’s gift for Christmas

James Reynolds had “his life back” after his brother donated him a kidney in a medical procedure performed for the first time in 15 years in Ireland.

James (37), from Tallaght, has always suffered from kidney dysfunction and got his first kidney transplant in 2009.

A second kidney failure in 2022 led him to two-and-a-half years of dialysis, which artificially filters liquids and waste from the blood, until he was donated a new kidney by his brother Graham (34) on October 22, 2024.

As special as a donation from a living family member is, James’ second transplant was even more incredible.

None of his siblings, including Graham, matched with his blood type, meaning he had to undergo a treatment called plasmapheresis to have his blood “manipulated” before the transplant so that it could match with the donor’s one.

“I really want to stress that my other siblings Thomas and Ashling, and my wife Samantha, were all very keen to be tested as potential donors,” James told The Echo.

“Graham was considered the most practical option.”

The family explored the possibility of a so-called paired exchange in Belfast, where the recipient from one pair is matched with the compatible donor from another pair and vice versa.

After receiving two calls in six months from Belfast saying that the right match couldn’t be found, the siblings turned to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where 15 years ago an “ABO incompatible living related donor kidney transplant” was carried out.

This procedure entailed extra treatments which prepared James’ body to “accept” a different blood type along a new kidney, such as the plasmapheresis and immunosuppression medication both before and after the transplant.

James Reynolds (left) with Graham

James started the treatments a week before the transplant for a total of six sessions, meaning that at some point, he was going through dialysis and plasmapheresis at the same time.

“Those were quite tough days,” said James. “I was counting them down to when my life was going to change. I was nervous at the thought that it might not work,” said Graham speaking to The Echo about how he felt before his own surgery.

“I knew the difference it was going to make for him if it worked. I tried to keep myself as fit as possible.”

Graham lives in Kilnamanagh with his partner and two children.

He said that it was tough to see James struggling with his daily tasks after his kidney failure, not being able to be with his child as he wanted to.

“If I got a flu, I would get over it in a few days but for James, picking up a cold would have meant feeling in a bad way for a few weeks.

“Compared to last time, we were older and more aware. We knew the benefits a new kidney would have, and that’s why we all put ourselves forward.

“If it wasn’t going to be me for any reasons, my brother and sister were ready to go.”

While talking about their family “always being very close,” they recalled their first thoughts after their surgeries.

“How’s Graham?” was James’ first question after his four-hour long surgery.

Not surprisingly, Graham’s first question after surgery was “How’s James?”

“We obviously love each other, but we wouldn’t be saying it to each other,” James said.

“After the transplant, I took a moment to tell him that he didn’t just give me my life back. He gave my wife a husband back, and my eight-year-old son a father back.”

Organ Donor Cards, which attest the card owner’s interest in donating, can be requested at IKA.ie

The two siblings are now in the process of recovering.

James was already able to go back to his digital content manager job while Graham had to take a few months off from his job with the ESB which requires physical effort.

The four siblings have a WhatsApp group where they check on each other daily, send videos of their kids, and talk about their lives.

“I never asked any of them to do this for me. It was all pushed by them,” said James, who is happy to be able to lift his son Dylan up again, to have planned a holiday abroad with Samantha for next year and have a joyful Christmas with the gang.

“I just don’t know what to get Graham for Christmas,” he laughed. “What kind of present is going to top his?”

“Thank you to the staff at Beacon Renal, Tallaght and Beaumont Hospital for their care and compassion through-out the last two-and-a-half years,” he added.

James, who played in the Transplant Team Ireland in the past, wants to raise awareness about the benefits of organ donation.

“You don’t only save one person’s life. You save the whole families who surround them.”

Organ Donor Cards, which attest the card owner’s interest in donating, can be requested on the Irish Kidney Association website.