I appreciate you taking the time to visit the TSNI Just Giving page which is to raise funds to help NI Transplant Team get to the first ever Transplant World Cup and promote the gift of life.

A little bit of my story for those who don’t already know it.

I Played Gaelic Football from the age of 8 until 32 I then went on to become a Referee. I was an active GAA referee for my club St. Mary’s GAC Aghagallon; for my own County of Antrim, and at Provincial and National level. .

Early in 2012 I felt shortness of breath during training for the National Referee’s fitness test and other symptoms emerged affecting my daily life. In April, I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition which enlarged my heart and reduced its working capacity to less than 15% of a heart's normal capacity. I became unable to do anything of a physical nature and had to give up refereeing.

For 6 years I lived with heart failure managed, through drug therapy, by the expertise of Craigavon Area Hospital & Royal and Papworth Hospital, Cambridge. During 2017 my condition deteriorated, and I was placed on the urgent waiting list. I underwent lifesaving heart transplant surgery in Royal Papworth Hospital on New Year’s Day 2018.

10 days after transplant, I was up and about walking the wards and it was suggested that I would get on the exercise bike to help rebuild my strength. That was the start of me getting back to fitness. Not long after, I was told about the British Transplant Games, and I became a member of the Royal Papworth Hospital Transplant Sport Team and have competed for the past 2 years.

It was during the Games that I met and got to know the NI Transplant Sports Team. I was invited to join the football team to play their 1st international game against ROI in Dublin. I had never played Soccer before but enjoyed the game and more importantly the people, as we have been on a similar journey.

In the challenging times before transplant, I never imagined playing football let alone going to a World Cup. After transplant my goal was to get back to being active which was a huge part of my life before I took ill. When I was invited to join Transplant Sport NI,I considered it another opportunity on that journey, little did I know it would lead me to an international World Cup competition.

As always, this is down to my donor and her family who took the decision to donate her organs and to the Doctors and staff of Craigavon and Royal Papworth Hospitals who looked after me during my illness, also my wife Catherine, children Rose and Dominic and family and friends who were always there to help.

The team are supported by IFA coach Michael Boyd, team doctor Damian Fogarty and our very own Living Donor, IFA referee, Arleen Campbell.