Joe Brolly devastated by failure of kidney transplant to friend

Updated: Tuesday, 13 Nov 2012 14:47

Joe Brolly: "There was no rejection as we understand it. It was all the more agonising for that."

All-Ireland-winning footballer and RTÉ analyst Joe Brolly has spoken of the devastation he suffered on hearing his kidney donation to a friend had failed.

The 43-year-old barrister from Derry told RTÉ News at One it was an agonising time but he "would do it all again tomorrow if he could".

The organ that was transplanted to Shane Finnegan last month stopped working when complications were discovered nine days after the major operation.

Brolly said Shane's wife called in the middle of the night to tell him the operation had failed. He said despite claims Shane's body had rejected the organ, the kidney was in fact starved of oxygen because of a blood clot.

"There was obviously deep disappointment," he said. "The kidney that had been working perfectly had to be taken out. There was no rejection as we understand it. It was all the more agonising for that.

Brolly said he "would be trying to get on", adding that he has started back running and hoped to return to work next month.

"But for Shane it's different" he said. "Because the stakes are very high, it wasn't really the sort of game you could afford to lose. For Shane, it was obviously was a hammer blow.

"The clock is ticking and he needs a kidney from a live donor urgently. He is very weak, he has lost a few stone and is very frail but mentally he is very strong."

Brolly insisted people should not be afraid of being a living donor.

"The scientific community isn't sure why we have two kidneys," he added. "You only need one kidney. Once you are healthy, you can be a living donor.

"If someone were interested, they can easily contact me, north or south. If someone put their hands up, the process is excellent, you know it's something well worth doing. I would do it all again tomorrow if I could."

He said it's been a great lesson for his children and the wider community, including St. Bridget's GAA club, where both he and Shane coached at under-age level.

During his time in hospital he said: "You could see lives being saved everyday".

There are currently 600 people in the Republic waiting for a kidney transplant, 200 in Northern Ireland - including Shane Finnegan.

Brolly added: "Between eight and 10 percent of those will die without getting a kidney and it's an awful waste, because if people filled out a donor card, it would make a massive, massive difference to other people's lives."

Edited by rolo - 13 Nov 2012 at 2:52pm

It's really not. It's more self indulgent hyperbole. "If it wasn't for the GAA we would be America" is bombastic, anti historic sh*te. Of course the GAA is important to people and broadly does good, but so does every sport, but it entirely ignores the conservative history and commercial present of the organisation. It genuinely reads like he was on his second bottle of wine and had tears in his eyes writing this guff

Young Joe drove past me in his seven series when I was sitting in my AMG not last Tuesday evening around 5pm when I was parked up on Old Channel Road in Belfast.

Gave him a wee wink and a wave and he waved back. Gent of a man.

Fintan wrote: Young Joe drove past me in his seven series when I was sitting in my AMG not last Tuesday evening around 5pm when I was parked up on Old Channel Road in Belfast. Gave him a wee wink and a wave and he waved back. Gent of a man.

Good man Baggio I was parked there illegally for 23 minutes......cause I'm a rebel.

That's a good drop you were drinking

Does he really drive one of them? That was pot luck.
Lotto numbers this week are 1 7 13 23 28 31. Thanks. Hope you opened tje tunnel for the man

Fintan wrote: Does he really drive one of them? That was pot luck. Lotto numbers this week are 1 7 13 23 28 31. Thanks. Hope you opened tje tunnel for the man

It's a beemer, a big one and does indeed have th reg plate ending in GAA. There was some awards night on in Dublin that night. I thought at the time it was a 5 series but I didn't check that too closely when I seen the reg plate.

Edited by Sham157 - 09 Feb 2016 at 12:56pm

Sham157 wrote: Fintan wrote: Does he really drive one of them? That was pot luck. Lotto numbers this week are 1 7 13 23 28 31. Thanks. Hope you opened tje tunnel for the man It's a beemer, a big one and does indeed have th reg plate ending in GAA. There was some awards night on in Dublin that night. I thought at the time it was a 5 series but I didn't check that too closely when I seen the reg plate. young AntrimMan can verify (to a degree) as we were discussing a trip or something at the time. Oh and no, he was sent on his way via East Wall Road, Poplar Row, Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra Road and onto the M1

Well that solves last night's shooting. Sham the boss man sending out Joe the hit man Brolly