Best moment in our life was giving Jasmine a full bottle of water

Mum recalls how transplant led to normal life for daughter

- CIARA O'LOUGHLIN

LITTLE Jasmine Rayyan was one of just six children that underwent a kidney transplant last year.

Her family told yesterday at the launch of Organ Donor Awareness week how it was the "happiest moment of their lives" when the call came that a donor was available.

Jasmine, 6, from Shankill, Dublin, struggled from birth after being diagnosed with severe kidney problems at just six weeks old.

By the age of five, both her kidneys were removed and she was placed on various types of dialysis.

At one point, she was restricted to just 100-200ml of fluid a day.

Her mother Asmae said it was heartbreaking to see her child so thirsty, as she found her drinking from vases or licking rain off the trampoline.

As the mum was preparing to donate a kidney, in August 2024, she received a call that a donor kidney was available for her little girl.

They rushed to Dublin's Temple Street Hospital, and later that day doctors were happy that the surgery was a success.

CLOTS

Asmae said: "The best moment in our life was handing her a full bottle of water and saying, 'Drink all you want. I'll never forget that.

"We are forever grateful to the donor family. They didn't just save our daughter Jasmine, they gave our whole family a second chance."

The mother was speaking as the Irish Kidney Association launched Organ Donor Awareness Week, which starts on May 10, at Dublin's Mansion House yesterday (TUES).

At the event, mum Olivia Farrell honoured her late daughter who saved multiple lives from being an organ donor.

In 2022, Lauren died suddenly at the age of 24, after blood clots in her legs led to a sudden heart attack.

Her heartbroken mother, from Kildare, said when doctors broached the subject of organ donation, she didn't hesitate.