I might not be alive if I’d fallen out with my big brother!
McDONALD HAILS CHERISHED SIBLING WHO DONATED HIS KIDNEY FOR TRANSPLANT
ONE man will be uppermost in Kevin McDonald’s mind today if he plays his first competitive match since undergoing a life-saving kidney transplant last year.
It was older brother Fraser who bravely donated a kidney to his sibling, allowing the 33-year-old midfielder a second chapter in an already distinguished career which had seen him star for Scotland, Burnley, Sheffield United, Wolves and Fulham.
Now having signed a shortterm contract with Dundee United, Fraser won’t be far from the former Dundee player’s thoughts should he take to the field for an emotional comeback against St Johnstone in Perth today.
McDonald’s footballing journey hasn’t been a straightforward one since he was first diagnosed with kidney disease in his teens and had to be carefully managed by medics.
And he revealed yesterday how the long and gruelling battle to recover from his transplant included a nerve-shredding spell when his body started rejecting his brother’s kidney.
Pulling on his boots again was the furthest thing from his mind at that stage but, now thankfully fighting fit again, he is looking forward to making his mark on the pitch once more.
Carnoustie-born McDonald said: ‘It has been a long journey and, looking back now, it is an unbelievable experience to receive a kidney from my brother.
‘My wife was also pregnant at the time, so it was tough.
‘You put your trust in the surgeons and I never doubted that side of things because they were top drawer.
‘It was just all about staying positive throughout.’
McDonald will be forever indebted to Fraser but he revealed that, at one stage, it looked like his best friend would be donating a kidney and not his brother — all because of a postal mix-up.
‘It was quite strange,’ he said. ‘It actually wasn’t meant to be my brother. It was meant to be my best mate.
‘It was down to Royal Mail — and I don’t know how they have come into the story of my kidney transplant!
‘I went to London to see the surgeon and he said: “Danny Millar” (my best mate), “he will be doing your transplant”. I had no clue about it. I asked: “But what about my brother?”
‘The surgeon replied: “We have not had your brother’s blood back.” It was a strange situation.
‘Something then fell through with Danny — not through his choice, on the medical side.
‘By that time, my brother’s blood had been analysed, and he ended up coming in and donating his kidney to me — it turned out the Royal Mail had sent his bloods back to the wrong place!’
McDonald and his brother both had to isolate before and after the operation last May for five weeks, and he insists that, despite everything they have gone through, their relationship hasn’t changed.
‘You know what, it is probably exactly the same,’ he said with a smile. ‘It’s a good job we didn’t fall out beforehand, otherwise I would not be here — literally.’
Yet McDonald admitted he feared the worst when his body started rejecting the donated organ.
‘I had a bad rejection right at the very start and the surgeons were so surprised by it,’ he said.
‘They said they were baffled how that happened when you’ve got someone next to me who was like 85 years old and who was in and out in three days from a random donor.
‘The rejection was the hardest part, because you start thinking: “Am I going to need another transplant?”
‘They overcome the rejection by using ATG (Anti-thymocyte globulin). The first dose worked and so on. As soon as they had done ten days of it, they said: “You’re good to have a couple of days here and move on.”
McDonald had planned to retire from playing following the operation but delving deeper and talking to others who had been in the same situation ultimately convinced him there was a chance he could carry on playing.
‘I spoke to Ivan Klasnic who used to play for Bolton,’ explained McDonald. ‘He ultimately had three kidney transplants — one just didn’t work at all and it was a heavy rejection.
‘But after his initial one, he came back and played.
‘Andy Cole (former Manchester United striker) got in touch because he also had a kidney transplant.
‘A lot of people reached out and I also got a few numbers of people who were good runners, things like that.
‘I spoke to them and they were like: “No problem at all and six months later I was back to it.” So these types of people gave me more of a nudge and confidence that I could get back.
‘Once I got back going again and running, there was nothing that could hold me back from playing football. Before then, I had fully planned to retire.’
McDonald was an unused sub for United at his old stomping ground of Dens Park on Tuesday night for the Tayside derby.
He hopes to be given game time at some point today against St Johnstone and admits running out on to the pitch again could be an emotional moment for him.
‘The kidney’s not the issue now,’ he said. ‘I’m 33 and for 18 months I haven’t played, so I’m grateful to Dundee United.
‘I have no doubts I have the ability and that I’ll enjoy it but it’s going to be down to me to get through 90 minutes after 90 minutes.
‘It might be emotional when I get on the pitch in a game. We’ll just have to wait and see when it happens.
‘The last thing I want to do is go out there, play and look like a bag of s***!’
You put your trust in the surgeons and stay positive throughout