Waterford organ recipient (14) pays tribute to donors
Lexi Murphy (14) from Annestown, Waterford, brought her ballet shoes to the altar representing the dance art. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography.
The Irish Kidney Association (IKA) held their 39th Annual Remembrance and Thanksgiving at the weekend.
The event is an important occasion for remembering deceased loved ones who have in their death given the gift of life to others.
The service was held at the Church of the Holy Child, Whitehall, Dublin and brought together over 1600 people from all across Ireland.
Among the guests were the Murphy family from Annestown, Co Waterford.
14-year-old Lexi Murphy paid tribute to the deceased donors and lit a candle in remembrance.
Lexi was born with a rare condition known as polycystic kidney disease, which also affected her liver.
Thankfully, Lexi underwent a life-saving operation in 2016 after receiving two kidneys from a donor.
At the service, Lexi presented her pointe ballet shoes, symbolising her love of dance.
Lexi said to RTÉ News: "I'm able to do stuff now that I wasn't able to do before the transplant. I'm very thankful and if it wasn't for them (the donor), I probably wouldn't be here."
The service will be broadcast on RTÉ One this Sunday, November 17 at 11am, and will be available later on RTÉ player.
