Tackling Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle

Tipp dialysis father up for challenge

Francis Hogan from Templemore, is gearing up for the second year in a row for the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle, this time while on nightly home dialysis. The father of five is riding on July 5 to raise awareness of organ failure and funds for the Irish Kidney Association via his iDonate page www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/francishogan3

Last year, he completed the same 170-kilometre cycle with just 10% kidney function, just two days before starting dialysis training at Cork University Hospital. Now, a year into managing treatment at home, Francis is back to prove that kidney disease doesn’t mean life has to stop.

At the heart of the legendary Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle is the Irish Kidney Association (IKA), the grassroots charity that founded the event 43 years ago. Since then, the IKA has played a pivotal role in not only organising the iconic ride but also in raising crucial awareness and funds for kidney patients. This year, the IKA is calling on cyclists of all levels to join the event on Saturday, July 5, to support kidney disease awareness and organ donation. For those not cycling, the IKA encourages everyone to support participants like Francis Hogan and others who are taking part in the cycle to raise funds and awareness for the charity.

Francis, 48, visited The Kingdom recently and met with two Kerry natives, Theresa Looney and Eithne Murphy, who he was photographed with to promote the upcoming Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle and the Irish Kidney Association which has been selected as one of its Tier One main beneficiary charities. Theresa Looney, from Killarney, is a founding member of the Kerry branch of the Irish Kidney Association and also one of the founding members of the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. Eithne Murphy, living in Castleisland, will take on the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle, for the first time. She will also be raising funds for the IKA in July, the month that marks the 12th anniversary of her father Ted Murphy’s life-changing kidney transplant, which took place in July 2013. In addition to supporting the IKA’s mission, she is honouring the family of the deceased kidney donor, whose generosity gave her father a second chance at life.

Francis Hogan was diagnosed in his early twenties with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). He has worked hard to slow the progression of the inherited condition through medical care, medication, and a committed approach to fitness and nutrition. Now on dialysis with end stage kidney failure, he continues to defy the limitations of his illness with an unwavering belief in the power of physical activity to support both physical and emotional health.

Francis is the owner of a stoves and bathroom supplies business in Clonmel. He admits that the start of dialysis wasn’t easy, personally or emotionally, trying to navigate family life, work, and his illness. However, with the support of the Irish Kidney Association and training from the exceptional renal team at Cork University Hospital (CUH), he built up the confidence to manage his treatment at home. Now, each night while his family sleeps, he undergoes life-saving dialysis at home.

“Dialysis is a lifeline. Without it, I simply wouldn’t survive,” he says. “It’s not always easy, and I know others have a much tougher journey than I do, and some dialysis patients are much sicker and experience more severe symptoms. But staying active and involved helps me stay positive and prepare my body and mind for the hope of a transplant in the future.”

His advocacy is rooted in personal loss. In 2001, Francis’ father Gus, who also had PKD, passed away at the age of 49 from heart failure, just a day after receiving a kidney transplant. That experience deepened Francis’s drive to live fully and help others facing similar struggles.

In 2022, with only 25% kidney function, he completed a gruelling 600 kilometres Mizen to Malin cycle in 24 hours with friends from his local club, Upperchurch Drumbane Cycling Club (UDCC), raising over €27,300 for the Irish Kidney Association (IKA).

Now secretary of the Tipperary branch of the IKA, Francis has immersed himself in the organisation, working passionately to support the vital work the registered charity does for kidney patients and their families across Ireland.

HOW TO SUPPORT FRANCIS

To support Francis’ fundraiser donate to www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/francishogan3