Athboy transplant recipient supporting IKA fundraising campaign

As the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) prepares for the reopening much-valued National Kidney Support Centre (NKSC) on the grounds of Beaumont hospital, a Meath woman who underwent two kidney transplants is getting behind an online fundraising campaign for the centre.

Therese Daly from Athboy underwent a kidney transplant from a deceased donor in 2001 and when it failed, her brother Cathal Egan stepped up to donate a kidney to her at Beaumont Hospital in 2015. “Our family availed of overnight accommodation at the Support Centre. After my second transplant, I went on to have two children, my first son, Cathal, now 9, named after my kidney donor brother, and my second son, Aaron, now 7," she said.

"I regularly used the IKA’s Support Centre while attending appointments at Beaumont Hospital. It was a calm and safe place to rest, especially when my immunity was low, making it a better option than waiting around at the hospital. It also gave me the chance to meet others on a similar health journey. It truly was a home away from home. It was exactly what my family and I needed. I’m excited about the reopening of centre next year," she said.

The centre is scheduled to re-open in Spring 2026, following extensive renovation and modernisation.

To help complete the final phase of its transformation, the IKA has launched a dedicated online fundraising campaign at www.supportkidneycentre.ie aimed at supporting the Centre’s €1.3 million renovation and fit-out and ensuring that it remains a safe, convenient, and sustainable place of rest and support run by the organisation and free of charge to families from across Ireland.

With a fundraising target of €250,000 for the renovation, the campaign invites the public, corporate partners, and supporters to help restore this essential resource for the kidney community.

First opened in March 2000, the NKSC is located on the grounds of Beaumont Hospital, home to the HSE’s National Kidney Transplant Service, and is conveniently situated less than 200 meters from the hospital’s front doors. The Centre is owned and operated by the Irish Kidney Association and is funded through public fundraising.

Patients from outside of the Dublin commuter belt typically stay while attending clinic appointments related to their kidney health at Beaumont Hospital, CHI at Temple Street or Crumlin Children’s hospital. The facilities are also available to kidney patients, and families, attending Beaumont hospital as out-patients.

The Centre closed in March 2020, when it was temporarily sequestered by Beaumont Hospital in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was formally returned to the Irish Kidney Association in November 2024 and is now undergoing a full refurbishment to meet modern standards and continue serving kidney patient and their families for decades to come.

The Centre, when reopened, will once again provide kidney patients and their families with free, safe overnight accommodation and day-time refuge, easing the physical, emotional, and financial strain of treatment away from home.