Emma Cobbe, a 49-year-old nurse living in Blackrock, Co Cork, underwent a life-changing liver transplant in July 2022 after battling autoimmune chronic liver disease for over two decades. Her journey began when she was a student nurse and only 20 years old. Receiving the diagnosis of cirrhosis set her on a long, challenging path.
Over the years, Emma was sick during different periods as her condition gradually progressed. From 2016 on, complications arose – such as a splenic artery aneurysm and an extensive portal vein thrombosis – that made her situation more critical. Despite a break, Emma returned to her profession, pushing through the health setbacks.
Emma’s advanced liver disease severely impacted her quality of life, causing increasing fatigue and frequent hospital visits. As her health deteriorated, she was placed on the liver transplant list in June 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The long wait of nearly two years was gruelling, and Emma’s liver function continued to decline. She eventually had to stop driving due to brain fog and relied heavily on family for support.
The call for a transplant finally came in July 2022, and Emma made her way to Dublin for the life-saving procedure. Although grateful for the gift of life she received, it brought psychological challenges as Emma grappled with the loss the donor family experienced.
Emma shared: “I initially declined the opportunity to participate in Organ Donor Awareness Week in 2023, struggling to process the idea of a family’s loss saving my life. Over time, however, I came to terms with my donor’s sacrifice and later wrote a letter of gratitude anonymously to my donor’s family via the transplant coordinators. The emotional weight of the transplant experience was compounded by the uncertainty surrounding my donor’s family and their circumstances.”
Post-transplant, Emma’s life has been transformed. After struggling with fatigue, sickness, and gradually declining health for years, she is now thriving. She resumed working as a nurse in clinical trials for CRF-UCC at Cork University Hospital, and currently works on immunotherapy trials for peanut allergy. She also enjoys exercise, including Pilates, and more recently, does rowing twice a week.
Emma’s fitness levels have significantly improved, and she often reflects on how she had forgotten what it was like to feel ‘normal’. While daily anti-rejection medications are now part of her routine, she is otherwise living a vibrant life, and regularly travels to visit her brother in Spain.
Keen to express her gratitude, Emma said: “My liver transplant not only gave me a new lease on life, but it also deepened my understanding of the vital importance of organ donation. While maintaining the utmost respect for the privacy of my donor family, I am sharing my story publicly to encourage others to have conversations about the life-saving power of donation.
“I am profoundly grateful for the second chance I was given. I am also grateful to the amazing medical and nursing staff who cared for me down through the years at Cork University Hospital and the liver team in St Vincent’s Hospital for their lifelong dedication to excellence in their field. Also, to my parents, family, and friends who supported me through the very difficult years pre-transplant and through my recovery.”
Organ Donor Awareness Week will take place from 10-17 May. The life-saving awareness campaign is organised by the Irish Kidney Association in association with Organ Donation Transplant Ireland and will be launched by the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill on 6 May at the Mansion House in Dublin.
The key message around the campaign, ‘Don’t leave your loved ones in doubt’, highlights the importance of family conversations about organ donation and sharing wishes. For more information on the campaign or how to get an organ donor card visit www.ika.ie/donorweek/.
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