“Fionntán donating his organs hasn’t just helped the people that got them but also impacted their family and friends’ lives”
When Belfast footballer Fionntán McGarvey tragically died at just 18-years-old, his parents said they would take great comfort knowing he gave others the gift of life through organ donation.
The engineering student at Queen’s University Belfast was involved in an assault outside a bar on Finaghy Road North in the early hours of December 27, 2021 and later died in hospital in January 2022.
A simple conversation with his father while filling out his driving licence forms meant that he was able to save two people’s lives through the donation of his kidneys.
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Fionntán’s family and friends decided that they wanted to do something in the talented sportsman’s memory that would make an impact and encourage more people to have these important conversations.
At the end of 2022, they decided to set up a Belfast branch of the UK-wide student-led charity We Are Donors – a network of groups aiming to increase the number of organ and blood donors across the UK through education at schools and universities.
They decided to name it ‘We Are Donors Fionntán’ and it is led by a group of his friends, set up through Queen’s University where he was studying before his death.
Fionntán’s friend Oliver Marken, local lead for the Belfast branch of the charity, spoke to Belfast Live as the charity launched a powerful video campaign featuring Fionntán’s parents, organ donation campaigners Máirtín and Dáithí Mac Gabhann, and transplant recipient Megan.
In over three years, We Are Donors Fionntán have spoken to hundreds of students across Northern Ireland about the power of organ donation with the hopes of solving the waiting list crisis across the UK.
Oliver told Belfast Live: “We are Donors was initially started up in 2016 over in Newcastle University – initially, the aim of the charity was to promote organ and blood donation to young adults.
“The Fionntán branch started up in late 2022, early 2023. His family had the idea of doing something positive for him becuase its especially tragic whenever someone dies at 18 years old.
“They found out about We Are Donors and got in touch with them and from that, fundraising was done for them in Fionntán’s memory at the 2022 Belfast Marathon, where they raised over £100,000.
“From then, we were able to establish the Fionntán branch of We Are Donors which was actually the first branch in Northern Ireland.”
Oliver, Lorcan, who also feature in the video, and a number of Fionntán’s other friends have visited around 15 schools so far and have carried out up to ten talks a year – answering any questions or myths that young people may have about organ donation so they can make informed decisions about what is right for them.
“A lot of the ones who have been carrying out the talks were initially all Fionntán’s friends,” Oliver explained.
“But we also have people who just wanted to get involved and have a passion for organ and blood donation who didn’t even know him.
“Fionntán was quite well known too through school, university and sport so there has been quite a great backing for it and lots of people wanting to get involved.
“As his friends, we just want to help carry on his legacy and try and make some kind of positive from such a young and tragic death.”
When the main We Are Donors branch in the UK was given the opportunity to make a short film about the impact of organ and blood donation, they selected the Belfast group due to the strong personal story behind the Fionntán branch.
Following three different perspectives, parents whose child gave the gift of life, a family desperately waiting on a donor and a recipient whose life was transformed through donation, Oliver said he hopes the video brings around important conversations.
“Whenever we die, there is no coming back from that but if we are able to donate, then we are able to save someone’s life and we can give so many people more time.”
Oliver continued: “We live to emphasise in the talks that it isn’t a particularly nice topic but it’s the unpredictability of life – for many people, this might never be relevant to them as only around 1% of deaths actually get the chance to donate their organs.
“It really is such a gift and through the charity, we’ve met people whose lives have been changed through donation and you don’t even appreciate the ripple effect it has on not only them but the people around them.
“We just try to emphasise that to the kids we speak to – Fionntán donating his organs hasn’t just helped the people that got them but also impacted their family and friends’ lives.”
Fionntán’s friends and the other We Are Donors volunteers hope that young people come away from their talks less shy about the topic of organ and blood donation and understand it is a decision entirely down to them but something to really consider.
“We summarise the talks by asking them to go home and if they’re at the dinner table, just have that conversation and bring it up.
“We’re not forcing anyone to be an organ donor but we want people to know that even with Dáithí’s Law, your family says no if they don’t know your wishes.
“So talk about, make your decision known – Fionntán first discussed it with his family through applying for his provisional.
“If you are ticking that box, even a 5 or 10-minute conversation about it just to make it known could save a life.”
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