19/08/2026
Meet Murat, an inspirational 14-year-old from Tipperary.
Murat was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries, or TGA, and had three holes in his heart. He had his first open heart surgery at just 6 weeks old. Unfortunately, when Murat turned 10, one evening playing football he felt pain in his chest and left arm. He was rushed to hospital, and underwent multiple tests to diagnose the problem. Murat had a severe leaked aortic valve, and underwent his second open heart surgery. He had to stop all strenuous exercise and give up playing the sports that he loved. His diagnosis meant that he had to spend long evenings in Crumlin hospital undergoing surgery and recovering, and he missed out on so many childhood moments.
Thankfully, Murat is recovering well since his third open heart surgery. One evening during treatment at Crumlin Children's hospital, Murat was encouraged to apply for a wish! A friend of the family had received their wish a few years ago, and so the family knew all about the process. Murat's wish was a source of strength for him, something positive to focus on and to look forward to.
When our volunteers Orla and Eleni met with Murat and his mum Selene, they learned that his favourite thing to do is to fish, and if he was on a desert island, he would wisely chose to bring a fishing rod! Murat loves to watch river monsters on TV, and fishing videos from is favourite youtuber, Carl Smith! He told us that if he could meet anyone in the world it would be his hero, Carl!
Well, Murat's wish came true recently, and he was in for some incredible surprises along the way...
On an incredible summers day in July, Murat enjoyed fishing lake-side with Carl, and picked up a few tips from the pro himself. The advice must have worked, because just as the day was drawing to a close, the fishing alarms went off and Murat and Carl were able to reel in a big catch! A catfish almost the size of Murat himself!
After the big catch, the family celebrated with some stone-baked pizzas, and they even had an ice-cream truck arrive just in time for dessert! It was the perfect end to an incredible day out for Murat and his family.
Murat's Mum Selene told us afterwards: "It was a great weekend! Murat is absolutely delighted, thank you so much! Murat is still talking about his wish, and he would love to do it again!"
A massive thank you to Carl Smith for helping to make Murat's wish come true!
