Ex-Irish Rugby International gets a new kidney, from his wife

A former Irish Rugby International beat odds of 1,000,000-1 after finding out that he and his wife were a prefect match for his kidney transplant.

Richard Costello made his international début back in 1993 against Scotland, but he’s hitting the headlines today with an amazing story. Back in 2011, the former Garryowen player went to his doctor for a check-up as he was suffering from high blood pressure and bad headaches.

However, it turned out that Richard was actually suffering from chronic kidney failure. While Richard was going through a course of dialysis doctors discovered that his wife, Anna, was a perfect match for the kidney transplant, which successfully went ahead last summer.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Anna said: “Donation was something I knew nothing about, but it was something we had to learn fairly quickly after Richard became unwell.

“When we were reunited after the surgery we didn’t say much really, we were just there crying, but I did notice Richard’s colour was back.

“It’s a huge thing for a family to have to deal with and it was surreal at first but it’s amazing what you can get used to. It happens and you have to get on with it. If we didn’t, Richard might not have lived.”