Greencastle man finds new life in sport after kidney transplant

A GREENCASTLE man who received a kidney transplant has turned his experience into a sporting journey that is raising awareness for organ donation.

In his youth, Seamus Coyle was a keen sportsman, playing with his local clubs. However, at 25 he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease after a football injury led to a scan.

“Up until then I had done running and Gaelic football, but after the diagnosis I had to give it all up because of the risk of kidney damage,” he explained.

Seamus received a kidney transplant in 2013, but it wasn’t until five years ago that he returned to running, beginning with the Run for Enda event.

“Physically this was quite tough in the beginning but I kept at it, maintaining a good level of fitness,” he said.

This year, he joined a team of 27 athletes from Northern Ireland at the World Transplant Games in Dresden, competing in events including the 800m, 1500m, 5k, team triathlon and 4x400m relay. The team exceeded expectations, finishing 11th out of 53 countries.

The Northern Ireland squad included both transplant recipients and living donors, covering kidneys, livers, hearts and stem cells.

“I did the 5k race alone, but we completed the triathlon as a relay team,” said Seamus.

As part of World Organ Donation Week, Seamus is encouraging people to reflect on the importance of becoming donors.

“We are very lucky in Northern Ireland to have the transplant unit in the City Hospital, especially with Dr Ashling Courtney, who is so progressive in exploring all avenues for donors,” he said. “The figures are very good in NI for transplants, but overall the number of people in need is growing, with an 11 per-cent increase in the last year.”

Seamus is also actively involved in fundraising through Transplant Sport NI.

“Our organisation is a charity, but we do all of the fundraising ourselves. Last year we had three people run in the Belfast Marathon, with others doing relays, to raise money for the charity,” he explained.

Reflecting on his journey, Seamus says sport has given him renewed purpose – but the focus remains on spreading awareness. “I would encourage everyone to get involved and consider signing up as a donor to help those in need,” he said.