Jerry leaves with new heart after year in hospital
After spending almost a year in Dublin’s Mater Hospital the 50-year-old Corkman and self-confessed GAA fanatic is looking forward to realising his dream — to see the Cork hurling team bring the Liam MacCarthy Cup back to Leeside next September.
The former welder from Kanturk underwent major surgery in February last year when he was fitted with an artificial heart before beginning his long wait for a suitable donor.
The machine was used to pump blood in and out through his body to maintain circulation and oxidation. It was the longest time that an Irish patient spent on an artificial heart machine, but it paid off for Mr O’Leary who never lost hope that he would get a new lease on life.
Helping him to keep his spirits up were his family, hospital staff and the cards and letters he received from people around the country.
His heart transplant took more than eight hours to complete and the team who performed the procedure was led by cardio-thoracic surgeon and director of the heart/lung transplant unit, Mr Freddie Wood.
Mr O’Leary suffered a heart attack in 1995 while watching Cork playing Dublin in Croke Park. Three years later a second heart attack put an end to his working life. In 2005 he became quite ill, was constantly out of breath and found it difficult to walk.
He intends to wear his favourite item of clothing when he leaves the hospital today — his Cork jersey signed by the Cork hurling team.
A spokesperson for the hospital said Mr O’Leary had recovered sufficiently to be allowed home but would continue to be under the care of the hospital for a number of months.
“He has now got to a stage where he is well enough to live independently of the hospital with his new heart,” he said.
The spokesperson also pointed out that the operation would not have been possible without the generosity of the organ donor and the donor’s family.
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