WATCH Father who donated kidney to his daughter takes part in Great Limerick Run fundraiser

Limerick father, Jonathan Tully, who donated his kidney to his daughter pictured with her above

Limerick father, Jonathan Tully, who donated a kidney to his young daughter took part in the Regeneron Great Limerick Run on the May Bank Holiday Weekend

Harmony Tully, a 6-year-old Limerick girl, is finally living the childhood her parents once feared she might never get to see, thanks to her father’s life-saving kidney donation last year and the skill and dedication of the medical teams who cared for her in Ireland and the UK.

As her ten-year-old brother Kyron and her kidney donor father Jonathan Tully prepare to take part in the Regeneron Great Limerick Run on May bank holiday week and fundraise for the Irish Kidney Association, they are also sharing their story ahead of Organ Donor Awareness Week (May 16–23), in the hope of highlighting the life-changing impact of organ donation.

For Donna Leo (32) and Jonathan Tully (36) from Limerick city, what began as life as a young couple with their first son, Kyron, while considering plans to get married, quickly changed course when those plans were put on hold following the arrival of Harmony and her devastating diagnosis of chronic kidney disease shortly after birth. Their world was soon further transformed by the unexpected arrival of twin boys, Kayden and Kameron in December 2024, turning them into a family of six and shifting every focus to Harmony’s survival, hospital care, and holding their family together through five years of travel for treatment and uncertainty.

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Harmony was born on December 27th, 2019 with underdeveloped kidneys which could not function properly. Shortly after birth, she was rushed to Crumlin hospital, where she spent the first weeks of her life. From that moment on, hospital care became a constant part of the family’s reality, with long admissions, repeated treatments, and ongoing uncertainty about what each stage of her condition would bring.

As Harmony grew, her condition required increasingly complex treatment. By the age of three, she began home dialysis, and it was initially daunting for her parents, who underwent several weeks of training to learn how to manage their child’s treatment safely at home. She would then spend up to 10 hours every night connected to a machine that kept her alive. This continued for over a year and in 2024 she underwent major surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where both of her kidneys were removed in preparation for a future transplant.

Harmony’s care then became even more demanding, with haemodialysis three times a week at Temple Street Hospital in Dublin, forcing her mother Donna and her into exhausting 5 am journeys from Limerick. Life became a cycle of travel, treatment, and recovery, with little respite in between.

During this already intense period, Jonathan, who was a fit and healthy man and a talented rugby player with his local club Richmond RFC, didn’t hesitate in making the decision to step forward as a living donor for his daughter. After donating one of his kidneys, he had to step back from the sport he loved to protect his remaining kidney.

At the same time, life at home became even more intense when Donna, who has type 1 diabetes, discovered she was pregnant with twins. When her pregnancy progressed to six months, she herself suffered with diabetes related symptoms, and was eventually unable to travel to Dublin with Harmony for her treatment, leaving Jonathan and the wider family to shoulder even more of the day-to-day responsibility.

The pressure on the family deepened, with Donna’s mother Lorraine becoming a vital support, helping to care for the children and keep family life as stable as possible during a very difficult period. Harmony’s older brother Kyron (now 10) also experienced the emotional strain, quietly trying to process the uncertainty of not knowing whether his parents would be home from one day to the next, or away in hospital for long stretches of time.

At one stage, the family was separated for more than two months while Harmony was being treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital around the time of her transplant, a period which brought both emotional and financial strain. While the Irish Kidney Association provided some support, and accommodation was arranged by Great Ormond Street hospital during Jonathan’s donor assessment in London, conditions were far from easy, with the couple often required to check out each morning and wait until evening to know if a room would be available for that night.

It was in early 2025, the family received the worrying news when doctors warned that Harmony’s transplant would carry significant risk due to the complexity of her condition. Faced with an incredibly difficult decision, they chose to move forward, holding onto hope that this would give her the best chance of life.

Before the surgery, they spent precious family time together through a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland Paris with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a memory  that Donna says they will always treasure. “It was a dream come true for Harmony and she still talks about it and loved meeting characters dressed up as princesses. She loves dressing up as a princess.”

In May 2025, Harmony finally received her life-saving kidney transplant from her father. Jonathan Tully says, “I didn’t hesitate for a second. You’d do anything for your child. But it was a big worry that she would come through it. The relief now, seeing her living a normal life, going to school, dancing, that makes it all worth it,”

Today, the difference in Harmony is described by her mother as “night and day.”  Donna shared, “Simple things that were once impossible, because she had to protect the dialysis tube connected to her body, like having a bath, swimming, or playing freely, are now things she really enjoys. Harmony is six years old now and thriving. She is in school, dancing, swimming, and has even won a gold medal.”

“Harmony has been tube-fed which also impacted her speech development. However, we are now gradually working with her to encourage normal eating, and speech therapy, and she is making great progress. She is a bright little girl who is quickly catching up with her classmates at St. Patrick’s Girls National School and continuing to make strong progress

“Every small step feels like a huge milestone for us,” her mother Donna says. “She’s come so far. We’re just so proud of her. We’re also so proud of Kyron, who has been the best older brother to her and the twins throughout everything.”

She adds that the family feels deeply blessed that Jonathan was a suitable donor. “Had he not been, Harmony might not be with us today. We are forever grateful for that gift and for the second chance it has given her.”

Jonathan, who remains fit and healthy, has returned to work in security at University Hospital Limerick. While he no longer plays rugby, he remains active. Now, as life begins to settle into a new normal, the family are also giving back.

Over the May bank holiday weekend, Jonathan Tully and his ten-year-old son Kyron took part in the Great Limerick Run and the Kids Run for Fun to raise organ donor awareness and vital funds for the Irish Kidney Association (IKA). Two years before Jonathan and Donna ran in the same event, prior to Harmony’s transplant, and raised €1,500 for the IKA. This year Kyron proudly took part in the children’s 2km race, while Jonathan ran the marathon the following day.

People can donate to their online fundraising platform through iDonate.

The family is also deeply grateful to the medical teams who cared for Harmony at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and Temple Street, and Great Ormond Street Hospital, and to Donna’s mother for their unwavering support.

Now, for the first time since Harmony was born, apart from their Make-A-Wish trip, the family is looking forward to a simple but meaningful milestone, a holiday together in Spain in August. “We’re going on our first proper family holiday,” Donna says.

After everything they have endured, the family is embracing a life no longer defined by illness.  “It’s been a rollercoaster,” Donna says. “But now, we just appreciate being together, healthy, at home, as a family. Organ donation doesn’t just save a life, it gives a whole family their future back.”

As Organ Donor Awareness Week approaches from 16th – 23rd May, the Limerick family hopes their story will encourage others to consider organ donation and discuss their wishes with their families. The campaign message is ‘Don’t Leave Your Loved Ones in Doubt, Share Your Wishes About Organ Donation’ For more information on the life saving awareness campaign visit www.ika.ie/donorweek/