FIRST DANCE WITH ILL DAD IN HOSPITAL
SHANE POWER
BY A DUBLIN dad has told of his agony after a kidney stone the size of a golf ball prevented him from walking his daughter down the aisle.
Phil Redmond, from Tallaght, South Dublin, couldn’t give Philomena away on her big day because he’d just undergone surgery to have a 27mm stone removed.
However, the doting dad shared a first dance with a difference with his girl in the hospital ward – and the special moment went viral on social media.
Phil was a fit, hardworking mechanic whose active life came to a standstill with unexplained abdominal pain at the age of 61.
He underwent tests and was eventually diagnosed with a large kidney stone which caused excruciating levels of sharp, stabbing pain.
Phil said: “They say it’s like giving birth for a man.
“Now, I’ve never had a baby, but I can tell you it felt like I’d gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson and he was delivering all low blows.”
Consultant urologist Rustom Manecksha at Tallaght University
Hospital planned a series of surgeries to tackle the stone, which was growing in a critical part of Phil’s kidney, causing pain and infection.
Phil’s medical journey features on RTE’S Mybodyfix where he gets up close and person with the offending stone via a 3D scan.
He said: “It’s like a little alien sitting there in my kidney. An angry alien at that. I just want rid of it now.”
Philomena was left devastated when she learned her dad would not be let out of hospital for her wedding day.
She said: “To be told that my Dad wouldn’t be able to walk me down the aisle was really upsetting.
“I couldn’t believe a kidney stone would cause my Dad to miss my wedding.”
Determined that he would see her in her wedding dress, Philomena surprised Phil by turning up at the hospital.
However, their corridor dance was recorded by staff and patients on social media and soon went viral on Tiktok.
My Bodyfix airs on Tuesday on RTE One and RTE Player at 8.30pm.
I couldn’t believe this would cause my Dad to miss my wedding