Hurler's parents make agonising life support decision

The parents of a young hurler who suffered a brain haemorrhage while training agreed today to donate his organs, as they made the difficult decision to turn off his life-support machine.

Jason Gilligan, 20, never regained consciousness after he collapsed suddenly from a massive brain haemorrhage at a weekend training session with the Ballyfin GAA Club in Co Laois.

Damien Connelly, from Ballyfin GAA Club, said everyone was left deeply shocked by his collapse and commended the actions of the young hurler’s parents in the midst of their grief.

“The family have very graciously agreed to donate Jason’s organs to help other unfortunate people,” he said.

“The club are certainly very proud of everything Jason achieved with us, and very proud of his family for taking this action. I spoke to Padraig Gilligan, Jason’s father, and he told me that they are meeting the medical team this evening. He is on a life-support machine until the organs are donated, at that stage the machine will be switched off.”

After he collapsed, members of the club made urgent efforts to revive him. He was rushed to Dublin's Beaumont Hospital before being transferred to Portlaoise General Hospital where he was placed on a life-support machine.

Mr Connelly said GAA clubs in the county were rallying around to support the 20-year-old's devastated family, teammates and trainers.

“Everybody in the club is deeply shocked, everybody in the parish is deeply shocked and I have had calls from all over the county, other clubs and support from the county board,” he told RTÉ Radio.

“This is a very sad occasion for our club we have had a couple of these down through the years and this is one of the worst days we have had.”

Jason, who played both football and hurling, had been recently training with the Laois senior hurlers and was on the under-21 panel.

Mr Connelly said Jason collapsed around 11am on yesterday as players were starting their training session at the club.

“We were just pucking the ball around to each other and we turned around and Jason had collapsed on the ground. In the initial confusion we believed he had been struck by a hurling ball,” he said.

His teammates later learnt a blow from a sliotar was not the cause of his collapse, but a massive fatal brain haemmorhage.