Shane gets heart op after 20-month wait

A 33-year-old father of three who had been forced to live in a hospital for 20 months as he awaited a heart transplant has received a new heart.

Shane O’Connell, from Castleisland, Co Kerry, was yesterday reported to be recovering well from his surgery in the Mater Hospital, Dublin.

A donor became available after he had waited for a lifesaving transplant and had been living in the Mater Hospital since Feb 2012 after being registered on a replacement list.