Every day, when the clock struck 11:11, Dublin Biology teacher Niamh Foran, from Old Bawn, Dublin 24, would make the same wish.
She wished that her close friend and college contemporary, 29-year-old Edel Cashman, from Carrigtwohill, County Cork would get the call that could save her life.
Now, eight years after Edel received her life-saving liver transplant in October 2018, Niamh is taking on this weekend's Irish Life Dublin Marathon, raising funds for the Irish Kidney Association (IKA), in the same month as the eighth anniversary of Edel's transplant.
The 11:11 wish that began during Edel's darkest days will also be present on race day, permanently etched on the sides of both women in the form of matching tattoos.
As a Biology teacher at Educate Together in Stepaside, Dublin 18, Niamh teaches her students about organs and how they function, but Edel's experience has given the subject a deeply personal meaning.
'I teach my students about human anatomy, including organs and how important they are to the body, but Edel's story has given organ donation a very personal meaning for me,' Niamh says.
'When you see what an organ transplant can mean to someone's life, it brings the science home in a very different way.'
Niamh chose to fundraise for the IKA because of its work promoting organ donation and transplantation through the Organ Donor Card, while also supporting people living with kidney disease and their families.
Both friends are passionate about encouraging people to consider becoming organ donors and giving others the chance of a second chance at life.
The two women met during their first year studying Agricultural Science at University College Dublin and became close friends almost immediately.
Edel had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease at just nine years of age, which was managed with medication throughout her childhood and teenage years.
But at the beginning of her second year at UCD, her health began to deteriorate, and she eventually had to take time away from college and return home to Cork, while continuing to travel to Dublin for regular appointments at St Vincent's Hospital.
Edel had previously suffered a serious bout of sepsis in Autumn 2016, which had left her critically ill and in an induced coma.
It was following this serious episode that Edel was placed on the transplant waiting list.
After recovering from sepsis, medics had warned her about the symptoms to look out for and stressed the importance of going straight to hospital if they returned.
It was from this point, while Edel was waiting for a suitable donor, that Niamh began her daily 11:11 ritual.
Every day, when the clock struck 11:11, she would make a wish that Edel would receive the call for her transplant.
It was during this period, while Edel was travelling to Dublin for one of her regular clinic appointments at St Vincent's, that she stayed overnight at Niamh's parents' home before her appointment the following day.
That evening, Edel suddenly became extremely unwell. Recognising the symptoms from her previous experience with sepsis, she knew something was seriously wrong.
Niamh immediately called a taxi and took her straight to St. Vincent's Hospital, where Edel was admitted and her fears were confirmed.
Edel was gravely ill, and Niamh stayed with her through the night at the hospital until Edel's mother could make the journey from Cork.
Edel was later well enough to return home, where she continued to wait for a suitable donor liver.
By the time Edel received the call that a suitable donor liver was available, she had spent 22 months on the transplant waiting list.
"I've always thought of 11:11 as a moment of synchronicity and a little reminder to stop, make a wish and focus on something positive,' says Niamh.
'So, I started wishing at 11:11 every single day that Edel would get the call for her transplant. I couldn't do anything to change what was happening, so it became my little moment of hope for her.'
Niamh then decided to make the significance of 11:11 permanent. She had matching 11:11 bracelets made for the two of them and booked an appointment to have 11:11 tattooed on her side.
Remarkably, just two hours before Edel got the call for her transplant, Niamh picked up the engraved bracelets from the jewellers.
'When Niamh came to see me after my transplant with the bracelets, it was very emotional,' Edel says.
'I knew about the 11:11 and she used to send me the screenshots every day, but I didn't realise that her wish every single time was for me to get the call.
'Then the bracelets arrived a couple hours before I got it. It became something very special between us.'
After recovering from her transplant, Edel also got a matching 11:11 tattoo on her side, making the symbol a permanent reminder of their friendship and the journey they had been through together.
Since her transplant, Edel has become a passionate advocate for organ donation and remains deeply grateful to the family of her deceased donor.
She now lives in Carrigaline and, having grown up on her family's poultry and dairy farm in Carrigtwohill, is pursuing a career in farm succession mediation.
Until mid-October, she works part-time as a Patient Support Officer at the Irish Kidney Association's Munster Kidney Support Centre, close to Cork University Hospital.
For Edel, the work at the Support Centre has brought her journey full circle.
'Being around people who have been through similar things has been really nice. It can be lonely because not everyone understands, and you don't always talk about it as the years pass.
'Being able to help other patients and families, particularly those with children, makes me think of my own parents and what they went through.
'I know how helpless they must have felt, so it's really special to be able to help others now.'
In 2019 Edel was a guest speaker at the national launch of Organ Donor Awareness Week.
She will also be a guest speaker and sharing her inspiring story at the Gift of Life Charity Ball at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cork on 14th November.
Edel with her parents and Ray D'Arcy
Her friend Niamh discovered during her time at UCD that her passion lay in Biology. 'I absolutely love teaching,' Niamh says.
'Biology was where I realised my passion was, and I love being able to share that interest with students.'
Niamh began running around two years ago and quickly became hooked. She completed the Dublin Half Marathon in September, her second half marathon, as part of her preparation for the full 26.2-mile challenge.
She will be joined by her boyfriend of ten years, Daniel, who will also be running his first marathon.
Although he expects to run at a faster pace, Niamh says having him alongside her has made the training journey something they can share.
'He'll definitely be running faster than me,' she laughs.
'But having his support has been brilliant. We train together and even focus on nutrition together. It has become something we're doing as a team.'
Niamh and Edel's lives have taken different directions since their first years at UCD, but their friendship has remained strong, and they continue to keep in close contact.
On marathon day, Edel will be cheering Niamh on from the sidelines before making her way to the finish line to greet her friend.
11:11 is etched permanently on Niamh's side, while Edel has her own matching 11:11 tattoo – a lasting symbol of the friendship, the wish that brought them through a difficult time, and the second chance at life that followed.
- To support Niamh's Dublin Marathon fundraiser for the Irish Kidney Association, visit https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/NF57701382
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