Kidney Matters - Issue 16 Spring 2022

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admission. Over the next seven months I remained
in hospital battling a full-blown infection. Bit by bit
the consultant treated my condition by performing a
series of amputations on my other toes in an attempt
to save my foot. But eventually the infection was so
virulent that I elected to have my foot amputated, and
so began life as a double amputee.
Discovering the dance in my heart
This was a difficult time as I thought about what to do
next with my life. I knew I wanted to pursue my love of
music. So I wrote a song called I Will Dance (see below
for information) which tells the story of David in the
Bible, dancing with abandon before his God. I realised
that if I couldn’t dance physically, at least I could still
dance in my heart. I wanted to show others that despite
really challenging circumstances, there is still hope.
“I I realised that if I couldn’t dance
physically, at least I could still dance
in my heart. I wanted to show others
that despite really challenging cir-
cumstances, there is still hope“
Previously, I had worked with a Christian music
producer called Bob Cranham. Bob had produced
Helen Shapiro’s album The Pearl - which had been
number one in the Gospel charts. In July 2019, Bob
and I went into a recording studio, and after a number
of weeks recording, mixing and mastering, we had
our single. Since its release, it has done really well in
the world of downloads receiving over 6000 hits on
Facebook. I Will Dance has even been featured twice
on Irish TV and has been played on radio stations
across the world, as far afield as America and Asia.
Many people have written to me saying it has given
them hope and has helped them to dance in their
heart, despite their illness.
Dialysis continues and I have learned to be content
with the hassle of it. I didn’t make the single to raise
money for charity but to give it away free, desiring that
it would raise hope for others with kidney disease.
Whatever it is you are passionate about, just do it. Be
encouraged that there is hope even with kidney
disease and dialysis. You are a valuable individual,
a person in your own right, not defined by your
illness. Be positive, know that you can live a life that
is worthwhile and can make a difference. There is a
theory in social work that says ‘where there is vision
there is hope’. So be full of hope and live with vision.
If you would like to watch the video, you can
search on YouTube for ‘I Will Dance’ by Francis
McFaul & Fresh Manna.
Receiving my Doctorate in music with my
wife, Jacqui, in October 2021
Francis at hospital
Issue 16 | Spring 2022