One Limerick man’s dream to continue his love for sports after serious illness

LIAM PATTERSON from Raheen, never believed he would see the day he would be well enough to participate in sports again after a horrid few years of serious illness.

After a horrible 2022, Liam, who is now living in Monaleen, is well enough to take-part in the Ireland transplant soccer team, which not only has been a great source of exercise for him but also another outlet to meet people that have gone through similar situations to himself.

This dream, however, was not the case for a long time. Originally from Dunmanway in west Cork, Liam was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis back in 2009 and has suffered with a number of different sicknesses since then.

Liam was able to manage his sickness for a long time and was a huge part of the Mungret GAA club, coaching a number of teams each season, until he had to take a step back last year.

In 2022 his condition deteriorated further resulting in him having 'one of the worst years of his life'.

This sickness was amplified by the worry of having two young kids Oisin, 16 and Saoirse, 12, while Liam’s wife Annette tried to hold down the fort at home as his condition worsened last year.

Liam takes up the story: “Around April time last year I began to feel extremely exhausted and unable to go into work as a teacher in Broadford in county Clare. I tried my best to muddle away but I even found it hard to get out of the bed.

“I was down in the Bantry for my mothers birthday and I had an episode and I was rushed to hospital in Cork, not remembering much. It turns out my liver wasn’t filtering the toxins in my blood.

“This episode happened again in June. This is when I was told that I would have to get a new liver and I was put onto the waiting list. It was a scary few months waiting for approval and I had countless tests done to see if I would be approved for a transplant and in October thankfully I was.”

Liam’s own liver lasted far beyond the expectations of his doctors after his initial diagnosis in 2009, continuing to work for 13 years rather than the original timeline of five to seven years.

Once his name was on the transplant list it meant being ready nearly every single day to be called for the surgery. Late into 2023, Liam’s surgery was approved and it was full systems for the transplant.

“I was amazed at how calm I was going into the operating theatre, I still look back at the day now and I understand that there is an awful lot of anxiety and upset going into surgery. I left my kids and my wife in the hospital.

“I kept telling myself that everything would be alright and thankfully the surgery was a huge success.” Liam was then discharged in late January 2023, after weeks of rehabilitation and learning to walk again after such a major surgery.

“During my time in the hospital it was very easy to sit in the bed and feel sorry for yourself. I could have been a lot longer with my rehabilitation but I was determined to get out of there and get back to my old life.

“I remember one day I was having a meeting with my wife and one of the doctors and they said ‘Do you want to go see your kids? They are downstairs. After two weeks of not seeing them, as kids weren’t allowed on the transplant ward, I hobbled downstairs on my own, I was so determined to see them and it’s a memory that will stay with me forever.”

Thankfully, 2023 has been a complete turnaround for Liam, with each checkup bringing good news to him and his family. Looking back at last year, Liam stated that he 'owes so much to Mungret GAA club'. While not being able to drive for large portions of the year he was offered lifts and brought to matches to keep his spirits up while having to tenderly wait for a transplant donor.

“To the people that brought me to games and collected me from the house, it was only a small favour in their eyes, but it was such a huge thing for me at the time. My wife Annette was taking me everywhere and took an awful lot of my care onto her own shoulders, so even to give her a break was something that meant so much to me.

“I might have only been able to sit in the dugout with the subs, as I had no energy to stand, but it was just to get out of the house and keep involved with the club.”

This year Liam was well enough to get back coaching with the club taking over as the U12 girls coach and the Mothers and Others coach in the Mungret club. The love of sports and trying to stay as active as possible led Liam to joining the Irish transplant soccer team, after encouragement from his wife and family.

The Irish transplant soccer team opened his eyes to other patients of transplants and offered him another line of support other than his friends and family.

“I have met so many people through this team, people that have been sick for most of their lives. I have had it tough for sure but there are other people on this team that have had it so much worse. It has given me so much perspective for me to get up and to keep going.

“It is also another way for me and others to raise awareness about organ donation and for people to continue to have that discussion. It is not the easiest topic to talk about but it is so vitally important. The team also offers hope to people that might be in similar situations, who are awaiting results or news about their illness, that there is always hope.”

Liam is now back driving and working full time as a national school teacher in Broadford in Clare and hopes that his lust for life and passion for sport will keep him active and fit for years to come.