'He was by my side always'- Carlow woman thriving after receiving 'gift of life'

Orla Canning from Carlow Town is getting ready to take part in the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon this Sunday, May 31.

For Orla, who will be representing Irish Kidney Association (IKA), this run not only shows how far she has come but it allows her to raise funds for a cause that has transformed her life completely.

This is because Orla was once a type 1 diabetic who suffered drastically with her kidneys and pancreas. She has since underwent surgery to get a kidney and pancreas transplant, a procedure that has given her a second life.

“I've been a type 1 diabetic since the age of 12. Over long-term complications, I developed chronic kidney disease, which then developed into end-stage kidney disease.

“I was listed for a kidney and pancreas transplant because my kidneys were failing. It was pretty horrible, I won't lie. I'm a pretty positive person, but I was extremely sick, extremely fatigued”.

Orla said that she tried to not let this defeat her but it did.

“My energy went to me being at work all day and then at home, I'd just pass out on the couch, you know, dead to the world.

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“I had no energy, you know, going for a walk, even simple tasks like taking a shower and washing your hair. It's not a normal tiredness that your body feels .It's like an extreme lethargicness that like you can't even lift your arms to wash your hair”.

Orla said that having a kidney and pancreas transplant at 32-years-old, “literally changed my entire life I'm so well now. I still have moments with medications and other complications with my eyesight and things, but in terms of my kidneys I have a lot more energy. I'm not sick all the time”.

Thanks to the transplants, Orla is also no longer a type 1 diabetic.

“I've changed from between five and eight injections a day to manage my diabetes and on lots of other medication for the kidney disease. I've no more injections, no more blood checking, no more issues with blood pressure. It's unbelievable”.

Throughout some of the hardest years of Orla’s life, she has had the loving support of her family, friends and her now husband who have been with her through every step of the way.

The newly weds tied the knot last June in Portugal and they have recently returned from travelling around the globe to celebrate their honeymoon, something that would be impossible for Orla a few years prior.

The married couple got engaged exactly a month before Orla’s transplant procedure.

“The timing of it all was crazy after waiting for so long. We were only engaged and then the calls started coming that I was a match to certain donors.

“We eventually tied the knot last June, the 6th of June, 2025. Last summer, we were actually together 10 years.

Orla said that he was a massive support for her. “He was by my side always. We just got on with things.

“We tried to enjoy as much things as we could and still take little trips. He was a massive support, more than a girl could ever ask for. He's just the absolute best. Now he's my husband. So it's amazing. He stuck with me through it all.

“I'm so blessed”.

Orla is now thriving in life, having travelled to Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia for her honeymoon.

This is something she would only be able to do because of her kidney and pancreas transplants which have gave her a chance to live life again.

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“ I was hiking, we were in the sea, swimming, snorkelling and so many walks and climbs. We just kept, both kept saying that that would not have been possible, like a few years ago at all. The change is massive.

Orla is now preparing to take part in the VHI women’s mini marathon to help raise funds for Irish Kidney association.

“There is not organisations I'd be doing it for other than the Irish Kidney Association. They're just marvellous. What they do for patients, people don't even realise actually how much they do for patients and how much they advocate for them and the support services that are on offer and all free of charge. It's incredible. They don't get enough recognition”.

Orla emphasised that this run is so important to her to show awareness on the importance or organ donating.

“When you receive the gift of life, your attitude to things, it drastically changes. I’m really doing it for my donor and their family. Like when I crossed the line in 2024, I just burst into tears.

“A family somewhere is mourning the loss of their loved one, be it a son or a daughter or a brother or sister, an auntie, an uncle .And I am literally living my life because they made a decision to do that”.

Orla raised 5,000 euro for the IKA in the mini marathon in 2024.

To donate, you can find a link to Orla’s fundraiser here for 2026.