Former Manchester United and Newcastle striker Andy Cole has spoken candidly about the ‘torture’ he has endured since a life-saving kidney transplant in April 2017. The 47-year-old, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League, says he is still struggling emotionally and physically, and has apologised to those he has hurt during his recovery.
Cole fell seriously ill after contracting a virus on a trip to Vietnam in 2015, which reduced his kidney function to just 7% of normal capacity. His nephew, Alexander Palmer, donated a kidney in a successful transplant. However, Cole says the post-operative battle has been ‘a very telling experience’ that has deepened his depression and made him consider taking his own life.
‘I was depressed after the transplant because it’s very tough to understand the trauma you still face,’ Cole said. ‘I remember emptying a big bag of medication and just crying and thinking, “For me to survive another day, this is what I’ve got to take. For the rest of my life. I’m not sure I can continue.”’
The former striker, who is third on the all-time Premier League scoring list, says the anti-rejection drugs he must take for life cause constant ups and downs. ‘Don’t forget my new kidney is a foreign object. My body attacks it. So I have to take these anti-rejection drugs to stop my body winning. People say, “Stay positive.” But you never know how long your kidney will last. It could be here for five or 10 years. It could fail tomorrow.’
Cole has also spoken about the strain on his family, particularly his wife Shirley. ‘I apologise now to everybody for being the way I’ve been. What I was doing, torturing myself over an illness, is horrible. You push them away because you’re trying to quantify what’s gone on.’ He has since become an advocate for organ donation, speaking in Parliament to support a change in the law to an opt-out system.
