A family living on the Limerick-Tipperary border are reminding people during Organ Donor Awareness Week how big a difference a donor can actually make to the lives of others.

13-year old Ronan Coughlan from Newport has to be connected up to a life-saving kidney dialysis machine for 13 hours every night, seven days a week.

Organ recipient Ronan Coughlan pictured recently, practising his bass guitar.

When he was born, Ronan was diagnosed with kidney problems and his family were told he would eventually need a kidney transplant.

“He was able to survive on his own kidneys until he was around 10 years old, but we knew he would need dialysis,” said Ronan’s father, Michael Coughlan.

For around three years, Ronan and his parents would have to travel to D7ublin three days a week for dialysis treatment at Temple Street Hospital.

“Travelling from Newport to Dublin for the dialysis treatment was tough but that was part of our regime. Ronan then went on a recipient list and we waited and waited,” said Mr Coughlan.

Ronan and his family eventually got the call they were dreaming off in November 2006, when doctors said they had a matching kidney.

For the Coughlan family the result was devastating.

“We didn’t even think that he would reject the kidney because nine of out ten times a perfect match is a perfect match,” Mr Coughlan added.

One positive that came out of all of this was that Ronan didn’t have to travel to Dublin three times a week for dialysis anymore.