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She attends school, goes to ballet classes and Irish dancing and last week she went to see her favourite group Little Mix perform at the 3 Arena.
Lexi and her mother at the Little Mix concert Irish Kidney Association
Irish Kidney Association
But the difference between Lexi and other girls her age is that she needs a new liver and kidney.
This is because when she was just three weeks old Lexi was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening condition.
She suffers from polycystic kidney disease – which also affects her liver.
She was put on the liver and kidney transplant list on 1 December 2015. But since then she has had to be suspended from it on six occasions when she became too ill and had to be hospitalised.
“In the blink of an eye Lexi can become really sick but she just gets on with it and hardly ever complains even when she receives her nightly injections,” said her mother Kim.
In the past two years Lexi’s hospital stays have been more frequent and for longer durations as her health deteriorates.
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To help support the family, Kim’s parents Mary and Denis O’Sullivan sold their family home in Mallow, Co Cork and moved to be near Lexi and the family in Dunhill, Co Waterford.
This is to ensure that they can be on hand to mind Lexi’s siblings when she has to go for her operation.
Lexi with her brother and sister Irish Kidney Association
Irish Kidney Association
When a suitable donor becomes available, Lexi will have to travel to Birmingham to have the combined transplant operation – as procedures like this aren’t carried out in Ireland.
Lexi’s mother is calling on people to become organ donors so that they could be able to support those in need after the die.
“One of the most difficult things for myself and my husband to come to terms with is that we are entirely reliant on family somewhere to make the selfless decision to donate organs at a time of huge grief,” said Kim.
But out of this grief they will give life back to Lexi and other children like her who are waiting for life saving organ transplants.
The Irish Kidney Association are highlighting Lexi’s case in a bid to get more people to sign up as organ donors.
Around 550 people in Ireland are awaiting heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas transplants. 250 transplants in total were carried out in 2015 across Beaumont, Mater and St Vincent’s hospitals.
Organ donor cards can be obtained through the Irish Kidney Association. Freetext the word DONOR to 50050. For more info visit http://www.ika.ie/
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Ah here, enough of the posters. Does anyone know what the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is? Every MEP will vote on it in the next term, and it will have a huge impact on our lives.
I actually do. But point well-made. These are the issues that’ll weed-out the invested candidates from those many public faces already bounced out of national politics and who would run for a train if there was a vote in it!
If she cannot oversee a poster campaign she could never be trusted with matters political. What this whole poster charade proves- especially with Mary Fitz- is that many political aspirants are, quite simply, clueless. Give up now Mary and save yourself and the electorate needless stress.
To be fair, the first person to deface Mary Fitzpatricks poster was Mary Fitzpatrick by including a Fianna Fail logo. She may as well have sellotaped a brown envelope to it.
Bertie hung her out to dry twice – once on the morning of the election when he had 30,000 leaflets printed up and distributed to her voters so as to make sure she came last on the ticket. Typical Bertie.
Personally, I don’t think she’s political material. Her father was a TD too, but she strikes me as naive.
What has happened to all the poster inviting us to public meetings ? After I had such a full diary of events last weekend, I was really looking forward to another busy weekend of engagement with our wannabe politicians & discussion of important social issues. If I didn’t know better I would think the meetings were just a cynical ploy to stick up posters early.
Putting up posters in Tallaght- evident that FF EU candidate strategy is greedy. Posters advertising “public meeting” for early April remain in- situ. Guarantees prime prominent spots for election. Leopard and spots.
Tad biased there Maire, no? How’s the campaign going? It’s gas. All parties clearly have a social media strategy. Us Joe Soaps are soooo easily manipulated like…well that’s the attitude of the politicians or their mouth pieces on here.
Lots of posters being removed in Waterford today by the council. This afternoon they were strictly enforcing the law and removed a load of posters. Most were Fianna Fail or Labour, plus the odd Independent.
Is this the lady who can never get elected but keeps running in both National and Euro?
Would be interested to know what’s the split on male to female candidates as there seems to be a fair split at least based on posters in Dublin.
Must be said some look very young and wonder what qualifies them to represent us all in Europe. Although I see one or two ‘older ‘candidates proudly describing themselves as Councillor – wouldn’t have thought that’s something you’d want to be highlighting…..
Her poster with the writing on it about being too low is also illegal for another reason: it is on a prohibited pole. Posters cannot be erected on poles displaying traffic signs. That poll clearly has a sign about buses and a no right turn sign, so cannot be used for postering.
Her posters are everywhere around Dublin, all over the place. One must question her wisdom in associating with FF. Frankly, she will do nothing for us, if elected, but secure her own pension. The neck of these main party candidates is shocking.
Is this a joke about Clondalkin if us full of posters of other parties FG Kenneth Egan labour Bonner and SF Boylan so where is the voluntary ban keep them up Mary
FF don’t care about blinding people with low hanging posters or endangering people in traffic — when Bertie suggested an option of suicide it reflected its moral code and Modus Operandi. This woman does not care about anybody but herself and the pursuit of power.
As usual all the self-righteous finger-pointing is at Fianna Fail, conveniently blind to the fact that throughout Dublin Bay South the Labour posters are almost all illegally low. But then, Labour don’t do dynastic politics either… Quinn, Humphreys, Upton, Ashe… Oh to be as virtuous as Labour!
Art often attempts to capture the hubris and blind stupidity of politics and politicians. From Greek Tradegy, to Shakespeare, and right up to the latest instalment of House of Cards.
As is often the case, what seems farcical excess in art is over shadowed by reality.
How focused on oneself do you have to be, not to notice what is around you?
Posters make her and martin looking like complete idiots which clearly are nothing changed in fianna fail the all idiots party supported by idiots and voted for by bigger idiots who put country in mess it is in now
Posters should be banned outright, what purpose do they serve, except for littering. I don’t know anyone who has changed their vote because of a poster. When they take them down, they leave thousands of cable ties behind them.
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