GAA PUNDIT and former Derry footballer Joe Brolly is recovering in hospital after donating a kidney to a fellow GAA coach.
Mr Brolly, an All-Ireland medal winner, columnist and broadcaster donated a kidney to fellow under-10s coach Shane Finnegan (40) on Wednesday in Guys Hospital in London.
Speaking from the hospital, where both men remain under medical supervision, Mr Brolly said he was “honoured to be in a position to help” Mr Finnegan, who has been waiting for a transplant for over six years.
“When I heard that the only possibility of [a transplant] was through a live donor, I contacted his medical team. And of course in my considered opinion it’s all going according to plan – and thankfully the doctors concur.”
Mr Finnegan described Mr Brolly’s altruism as “overwhelming. I know its early days but I’m so relieved that it’s all going well for both of us so far.” Dermot Dowling, the chairman of St Brigid’s Gaelic Athletic Club in Belfast, said the act “epitomised the kind of man Joe is and the selflessness he displays”.