​Visually impaired Sean who donated kidney to his sister scales peak

​Ann had suffered from a genetic kidney disease which had left her kidney function operating at 7%, the same condition which had robbed the pair of their father at the age of 52 Sean, who has a visual impairment and is assisted with a guide dog, wants to raise awareness ahead of Organ Donation Week. He sees Bennie as his “extra set of eyes” and credits Bennie for giving him the confidence to go out and climb the peak in the Sperrin Mountains. Just last week, Sean and Bennie joined the Friends of the Glens walking group to scale Mullaghcarn, a 542m (1778 ft) peak in the Sperrin Mountains. For Sean, the climb marked a milestone, not only was he helping to raise awareness ahead of Organ Donation Week, the successful summit was proof he was finally back to his best. “Bennie has been the encouragement to get back out,” says Sean, from Omagh, who recently turned 60.

“I couldn’t walk him for two months after the operation, but as soon as I was on my feet again, he was at the front door ready for our walks. He just loves it. As soon as I take the harness out, he’ll stretch and he’s ready to go!” Sean’s journey with sight loss began decades earlier, and his connection to Guide Dogs runs deep: “My journey with Guide Dogs began with my grandfather. He had four guide dogs in his lifetime, starting back in the 80s.

"I always knew the benefits of them and seen them first-hand, but because my grandfather had no vision, I always thought you had to be totally blind to get access to a guide dog.” After years of deteriorating sight, Sean eventually applied for a Guide Dog but initially received training with a long cane.

“The first thing I had to do was learn to use the white cane. I almost felt that was like a stigma," he explained. "I didn’t want to be seen with the white cane in those early days. But it gave me great confidence, and from there Guide Dogs spent over two years assessing me. They told me even with some vision you can apply for a dog and felt I’d be a good candidate.” When he was matched with Bennie, Sean admits he was nervous: “Because I lost my other dog I was kind of worrying about how I was going to bond with a new dog. At that time I thought I couldn’t manage it – it was so much to take in. But Bennie just bonded with me right away. We became great friends from the start.” Life with Bennie has been transformative. Sean has even moved into Omagh town so they can walk together everyday: “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Now having Bennie to take me from my door for a half-hour walk into the centre of town is just amazing. I’m just so lucky to have him.”