Killala man Colin Scanlon to run Berlin Marathon to raise funds for Irish Kidney Association
Killala man Colin Scanlon (38) will run the Berlin Marathon later this month to raise funds for the Irish Kidney Association in support of his older brother.
Keith Scanlon has had two failed kidney transplants and has lived with kidney disease for over 20 years.
In 2005, Keith was diagnosed with Wegener’s granulomatosis, a rare autoimmune disorder that can cause damage to the kidneys.
He began dialysis treatment in 2006 and received his first kidney transplant from a deceased donor at Beaumont Hospital.
Following further complications and treatment, however, he returned to dialysis in 2010.
He remained on dialysis for eight years until 2018, when he received a kidney from a living donor through the paired kidney exchange scheme.
Keith and his wife Clare, who donated a kidney, travelled to Coventry in the UK to take part in the exchange and remained there for two months while Keith recovered before returning to Ireland.
Following this, Keith enjoyed more than seven years with a functioning kidney during which time he secured a degree in Commerce from NUIG.
However, after a difficult period involving numerous medical complications and operations, the transplanted kidney ultimately had to be removed last September.
Keith is now back on dialysis in Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar. He must travel one hour to each session three times a week, with each session lasting around four hours.
Colin’s marathon journey began with the Dublin Marathon in 2019. Since then, he has completed further Dublin Marathons as well as the Manchester Marathon. Berlin will be his sixth marathon and his first Abbott World Marathon Major.
He secured his place through the marathon lottery and will travel to Germany in September to take on the famous 42.2km course.
He isn’t setting himself a specific finishing time. “I’ll just go out and do it,” says Colin. “The main thing is to complete it and raise as much funds as I can for the Irish Kidney Association and organ donor awareness.”
“When I got my place in the Berlin Marathon, I thought it would be a great opportunity to raise money for the IKA and help raise awareness of the work they do,” says Colin. “Being able to take on this challenge for a cause that means so much to me and my family makes the whole experience even more meaningful.”
Colin works for medical-device company Hollister Inc., in production, making products including ostomy and catheter-related devices. His brother Keith has also spent much of his working life in the medical-device sector, having worked with Vantive (formerly Baxter), since 2006.
He hopes his experience will show others living with kidney failure that dialysis does not have to stop them from achieving their ambitions.
“It’s not just the dialysis. There’s the tiredness, the brain fog, the restrictions and everything that comes with it. It has a big impact on your life, but I try to stay positive and keep busy,” said Keith.
“There are still plenty of things you can do, and I think it’s important not to let dialysis stop you from living your life.”
Keith said he will always be grateful for the people who made his transplants possible and the support he has received along the way.
“I will always be thankful to the family of my deceased donor who gave me the gift of life with my first transplant, and to the living donor who made my second transplant possible through the paired exchange,” he said.
“I’m especially grateful to my wife Clare, who donated her kidney as part of that exchange and has been by my side throughout.”
Keith, who is Chairman of the Mayo branch of the Irish Kidney Association, is also grateful for the care and support he has received from his family, the medical and nursing teams in Castlebar and Beaumont, and his employer, Vantive.
“I try to stay positive and keep busy. Having been through it myself, I want to do whatever I can to support other patients and families facing the same challenges.”
“I’m very proud of my brother, Colin,” he continued. He was willing to be tested as a living donor for me all those years ago and, although he wasn’t a suitable donor, he is now running the Berlin Marathon to raise money for the Irish Kidney Association. That means a huge amount to me.”
The brothers are two of five siblings, with Colin 14 years younger than Keith.
While being assessed as a potential living kidney donor, Colin stayed at the Irish Kidney Association’s National Kidney Support Centre at the Beaumont Hospital, which provides free accommodation and day facilities to kidney patients and their families travelling to Dublin hospitals for renal care.
“When Keith went back on dialysis, I wanted to do something to help,” said Colin, who was not a suitable kidney donor.
“I had seen the support the IKA gives to patients and their families when I was being assessed as a potential donor for Keith, so I knew the support they provide.”
Colin has already raised more than €1,300 and hopes to increase that total before race day, September 27.
People can support Colin Scanlon’s Berlin Marathon fundraising challenge for the Irish Kidney Association by visiting his iDonate page.
He paid tribute to his wife, Karen, describing her as his “number one supporter”.
Colin and his wife Karen Waters, who is from Ballymote, married on 31st July at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sligo.
They are currently living with Colin’s parents, Phelim and Madeline, in Killala while saving towards building their own home nearby, along with their young daughter Isla who will be two years old in November.
Karen is the daughter of John and the late Elma Waters from Ballymote, Co Sligo.
“She’s very understanding, especially when I have to head out for a few hours to get my training in. And having Isla there, seeing her grow up and knowing I’m doing this as a dad, gives me an extra bit of motivation.”
“A big part of this whole journey has been proving to myself that I can still take on and complete a marathon while being a dad. It means a lot to me, and having my family behind me has made it all possible.”