Uncle donates kidney to Offaly milk firm’s owner

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Paul Molloy, owner of Offaly milk company Boora Bainne, has shared his story of receiving a life-changing kidney donation from his uncle just 12 weeks ago.

Paul, from Blueball, was diagnosed with kidney failure on his 32nd birthday. Exactly two years later, on his 34th birthday, he walked out of Beaumont Hospital with a renewed lease of life thanks to a live organ donation from his uncle, Tullamore man Micheal Gleeson.

Despite having no symptoms prior, Paul received a diagnosis of end-stage kidney disease in July 2024.

"I was just in for a routine procedure, and they noticed I had very high blood pressure," he said. "That's the thing with kidney disease, it's gradual, and you might not notice the symptoms."

Paul started hemodialysis in February 2025. Explaining the process, Professor Declan De Freitas, Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant Physician at Beaumont Hospital, said dialysis sees the blood drawn out, washed, and returned to the body.

"You can't survive without your kidneys," Professor De Freitas said. "Dialysis takes over the process of the kidneys, but it's not as good as the real thing.

"It comes with restrictions. You can't eat and drink certain things, there's fluid restrictions, and it makes it very difficult to travel. You can't do things that other people take for granted."

In this sense, kidney disease had taken away much of Paul's freedom. He underwent his dialysis on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week.

"Between getting ready to go, waiting times, and the actual dialysis itself which was four hours, I would have to set aside the full day," he said.

Daily challenges included not being able to stay warm, and sacrificing many normal day-to-day tasks, such as his work on the farm.

"When it came to work, I didn't have as much energy. I had help from my family, and I had to hire more staff."

Paul had not yet placed himself on the list for a kidney transplant when his family began having discussions about a donation. “Myself, my brother Martin, and my sister Claire sat down to have a talk about it and put ourselves forward,” his uncle Micheal said.

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"I said I was going to go ahead with it straight away. When I decide on something, I'm all in."

This was the beginning of a process called living organ donation, which Professor De Freitas said was the preferred type of transplantation.

"The main benefit comes from the reduced wait time," he added.

Micheal first attended Beaumont Hospital in October 2025 and underwent a series of tests to establish whether he was a good fit for kidney donation.

Over the following months, this included discussions with doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists about the risks that come with kidney donation.

Micheal admitted he had not thought twice about donating his kidney to Paul. As a father-of-four, he said it was only afterwards that he began to reflect on the decision.

"In hindsight, I maybe should've gotten my own family more involved. I have my own kids, and what if they needed a kidney down the line," he said.

"At the same time, there's every chance I wouldn't even be a match for them. I jumped in with my two feet, up to the waist, here we go."

Paul and Micheal went into hospital for the kidney transplant operation on Monday, July 20, this year.

Surgeons operated on Paul and Micheal simultaneously, transferring the kidney straight away.

"He went in sick, and came out feeling better. I went in healthy, and came out feeling worse," Micheal quipped. "But we were both up and walking around the next day."

Micheal was home the following Friday, followed by Paul's return home on Saturday.

"With live organ donation, things run very smoothly. We were the only donation that week, and things went very well," Paul said.

He explained that the recovery period for donors is about six weeks, and for recipients it takes about 12 weeks.

Speaking candidly about his concerns in relation to the transplant, Micheal said his only fear was that the kidney would fail.

However, just 12 weeks later, Paul and Micheal shared their story with the Offaly Independent over breakfast on a sunny Wednesday morning.

While Micheal has no regrets about donating a kidney to Paul, he does believe more needs to be done to support living donors during their recovery.

He raised concerns about the Living Organ Donor Reimbursement Scheme (LODRS), which he said is capped at €15,000 and covers a period of 12 weeks.

"People need to work to pay their bills. I would suggest this should be extended to six months," he said.

"Of course, organ donation is not a money-making enterprise, but it should also be the case that donors don't lose out financially."

Micheal would like to see the scheme reviewed, with input from people who have been through the donation process themselves, to ensure that prospective donors have a clearer understanding of the support available to them.

Both men were keen to express their gratitude to the team at Beaumont Hospital for the care they received throughout the transplant process.

Micheal was particularly eager to acknowledge the work of the surgical, nursing and ancillary staff.

“There aren't enough words to say how good they are," he said, adding that they approach their work “more like a vocation” than a job.

He also had a special mention for the nurses, affectionately referring to several of them as “The Laurens”.

Speaking about living organ donation, Professor De Freitas encouraged those who are in a position to consider it, saying it is "a massive gift which is received with huge respect".

"It really has a life-changing impact. It's a selfless act, and really shows the good in the world."

When asked what he would say to those considering organ donation, Micheal said "have no fear".

He highlighted the benefit to the recipient's life, also noting that Beaumont provides annual health checks for donors for the rest of their lives.

"It's very rewarding," he said. “I didn't do it to get a pat on the back. My life is going to go on, but for Paul, his life is changed,” he said.

Looking forward to the future, Paul said he plans to travel, get back to his beloved vocation of farming, and "enjoying life".

"If this happened a few decades ago, it would've been a death sentence, but now I have my life back," he added.