Live

Highlights on Off The Ball

03:00 PM-06:00 PM

Highlights on Off The Ball
Advertisement
Videos

Monaghan's Niall Kearns on dealing with his past heart condition

Niall Kearns is a fixture within the Monaghan senior football panel. But in the very recent past,...



Videos

Monaghan's Niall Kearns on dealing with his past heart condition

Niall Kearns is a fixture within the Monaghan senior football panel.

But in the very recent past, he underwent a blood transfusion. This week, he joined us to tell his story.

"I had to go under the knife 6-7 months ago," he explained.

"I was very glad of the blood that was there and all the donations that were made over the years. People don't realise what's around the corner, never really knowing when you might need it next.

"You can never give enough. It's just something that needs to be done and people should think  about [giving blood] more often. People need to go to clinics to see if they can. It's such a good cause to go and donate and help other people as well."

Heart Condition

Kearns also explained the heart condition he had been living with. He discovered the problem after bending down to retrieve a charger and feeling a shooting pain in his chest as he did so.

"It was only picked up when I was 16. At that point, I was referred to Crumlin Hospital up until the age of 18. So in Crumlin, they were just monitoring it," he said.

"I was on medication to keep the valve safe and protected. But I was then transferred over to the Mater Hospital in Dublin and they monitored it for another two years until it started getting bigger and bigger."

That leaky valve in his heart necessitated surgery eventually.

Off The Ball and Giveblood.ie want to get more conversations happening in everyday life about blood donation and why it’s such an important habit to start, continue and encourage in others. When you give blood you really do help another person who is struggling with ill health or who has had a serious accident.

You might not be able to attend your local clinic every time it comes to your town, but it’s really important to think about becoming a regular blood donor.

Check your eligibility & find your clinic: * Check your eligibility by doing the Giveblood.ie quick eligibility quiz.

Find out where your local clinic is or register your interest in the link below.

Find a clinic right here.

For more information, check out:

https://www.giveblood.ie/

https://www.facebook.com/giveblood

https://twitter.com/Giveblood_ie

Or check out Giveblood on Youtube.

You can watch the full chat with Niall Kearns above via our YouTube channel.

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

GAA Gaelic Football IBTS Monaghan National Give Blood Day Niall Kearns Off The Ball

Live: Title

Description

Added to queue
Removed from queue

On Air

Share

Share

Next up in queue

Title
Description
Duration

There are currently no podcasts in the queue

Go to podcasts

On Air

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

03:00 PM-06:00 PM

Share

Up next

OTB Gold

OTB Gold

06:00 PM-07:00 PM

Share

LIVE: Newsround

LIVE: Newsround

07:00 PM-07:30 PM

Share

LIVE: John Giles

LIVE: John Giles

07:30 PM-08:00 PM

Share

LIVE: Off The Ball

LIVE: Off The Ball

08:00 PM-09:00 PM

Share

LIVE: The Football Show

LIVE: The Football Show

09:00 PM-10:00 PM

Share

Repeat: Off The Ball

Repeat: Off The Ball

10:00 PM-12:00 AM

Share

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

12:00 AM-02:00 AM

Share

Repeat: Off The Ball

Repeat: Off The Ball

02:00 AM-05:00 AM

Share

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

05:00 AM-07:00 AM

Share

OTB's Crappy Quiz

OTB's Crappy Quiz

07:00 AM-07:30 AM

Share

LIVE: OTB AM

LIVE: OTB AM

07:30 AM-10:00 AM

Share

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

12:00 PM-01:00 PM

Share

OTB Gold

OTB Gold

01:00 PM-02:00 PM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-03:00 PM

Share

LIVE: Friday Night Racing

LIVE: Friday Night Racing

03:00 PM-04:00 PM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

04:00 PM-06:00 PM

Share

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Share on