A young man was training for a fight when his boxing coach noticed something was wrong and he was diagnosed with kidney failure.
Gareth Kelly's life was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with kidney failure just days before his 23rd birthday in April, forcing him to give up the sport he loved and quit his apprenticeship to become an electrician.
But despite the challenges he has faced over the past few months, the Limavady native is not letting his condition get the better of him, staying positive and aiming to live life to the fullest as he waits for a kidney transplant.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, Gareth said he had been training for a boxing match when his coach and training partners noticed he was getting worse rather than better over a period of weeks and felt the need to go to the doctor.
Gareth said: “Usually when you're training for a match you find yourself getting fitter and fitter each week, but my coach and a friend noticed I was feeling worse and worse as the weeks went on and I felt I needed to go to the doctor.”
“My mum was also very worried about me and told me to go to the doctor, but I was working 12-hour shifts as well as training and felt maybe I was juggling too many jobs at the same time. But it got to the point where I couldn't sleep and had trouble throwing up food.
“When I saw my GP they were immediately concerned about my condition as I looked very tired and my skin was starting to turn yellow. I was sent straight to Altnagelvin Hospital for tests. Initial blood tests showed my red blood cell count was wildly wrong and further tests led to the diagnosis of end-stage renal failure.
“My kidneys were only functioning at 2% and the doctors at the hospital at the time were shocked that I hadn't been admitted sooner and that I was basically one sleep away from dying.
“At first, the diagnosis was really hard for me. I was pretty depressed for the first month. But then I realised that you only have one life to live and you need to focus on all the positive things that you still have in your life. My dad was always a big believer in seeing the glass as half full, not half empty. I've been focusing on maintaining that positive mindset throughout my treatment.”
As a result of his diagnosis, Gareth needs to undergo dialysis three times a week and has been placed on the kidney donor register.
He has had to give up boxing altogether and stop training, but says he is hopeful he will be able to return if he finds a kidney donor soon.
Gareth continued: “I've been told that my blood type is very rare and will be difficult to match so it may be quite difficult to get a transplant. I could be waiting between one and three years until a donor is found.”
“The support we've received so far from friends, family and complete strangers has been incredible, with hundreds of people already coming forward to be tested.
“I'm so grateful for the support I've received and I want to educate others about the importance of looking after their physical health. I considered myself a healthy, fit young person but if I had realised the risks I was at earlier, I might not have ended up in this situation.”
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