The oldest surviving Irish heart transplant recipient has said that watching his grandchildren grow up is "an amazing joy."
Andy Kavanagh, from Coolock in Dublin, was just 19 when he underwent a pioneering heart transplant at the Mater University Hospital in 1986, after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease that weakens the heart muscle.
Nearly four decades later, he is one of the longest-surviving transplant patients in the world.
"I work, I have a healthy life. I go to the gym. I'm married. I have a lovely daughter and three grandchildren," Mr Kavanagh said. "To be able to survive transplant and watch your grandchildren grow up is an amazing thing altogether."
The Mater University Hospital is marking the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s first heart transplant, which took place there on 10 September 1985.
Surgeons Maurice Neligan and Professor Freddie Wood were part of the team that carried out the landmark operation, at a time when heart transplantation was in its infancy and available only in a handful of global centres.
Since then, 447 life-saving heart transplants have been performed at the hospital.
Mr Kavanagh recalls how his illness at first seemed like flu, before doctors diagnosed him with cardiomyopathy.
His heart donor was David Russell, who died after being hit by a drunk driver in 1986, when they were the same age.
Mr Kavanagh has remained in touch with the Russell family ever since.
In the years following his surgery, Mr Kavanagh has overcome cancer and undergone a kidney transplant.
"I have had some set backs but if you had asked me 40 years ago, would you carry on doing what you're doing, I would have taken your left hand off because I was only suppose to survive one or two years," he explained.
