Can Lomu make it back?

[Danny]

Experts split on Jonah's chances

By Michael Bradley and AFP
Saturday, July 31, 2004

Surgeons have given differing opinions on the prospects of Jonah Lomu making a comeback to international rugby, just days after the All Blacks legend had a kidney transplant.

The 29-year-old winger, who received a kidney from a live donor in a five-hour operation in Auckland on Tuesday, would still have to overcome major hurdles, including the possibility of the kidney being rejected, John Mayhew said.

"As a doctor, I'm hoping Jonah gets back to full health and can do all the things he wants to do," he told Television New Zealand. "He has discussed it [a playing comeback] before with the transplant surgeon and was given tacit approval."

"It certainly hasn't been ruled out but I think we have got more immediate concerns."

Mayhew said that in the end it would be Lomu's choice as to whether he wanted to take the risk of playing with a transplanted kidney.


"He is on record as saying he wants to and I believe he wants to," Mayhew said. "In three months we will have a better indication of the overall success of the operation but there are a number of hurdles to get over before we go that far."

Professor Graeme Russ, one of Australia's leading experts on kidney disease and transplantation, says there is every chance Lomu will make what he refers to as "a full functional recovery".

However, he is also certain that Lomu's final game of rugby is behind him.

The director of the renal transplant unit at Adelaide's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Russ said: "A functional recovery is when a patient regains the physical capabilities they had prior to surgery. You would hope he would make a full recovery, but you also have to remember that a transplant is in no way a cure."

While it is possible for a patient to regain the level of physical endurance and mobility enjoyed prior to surgery, Russ says transplant patients in Australia are universally encouraged to avoid body-contact sports, as transplanted kidneys are placed in the patient's lower abdomen or upper groin, rather than in their natural location. He said that meant the transplanted organs were far less protected than kidneys in their normal position.

"They are much closer to the surface and there is a much higher risk of trauma, bleeding, and even rupture," he said.

Lomu will be dependent upon immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of his life, and an increased risk of infection will be one of the many side-effects associated with his condition and its treatment.

The average life expectancy for an Australian kidney transplant patient is 15 years.

Lomu has suffered from the rare and debilitating kidney disorder nephrotic syndrome for 10 years. He had been on daily dialysis for the past year.

Mayhew said Lomu appeared to be making good progress after his surgery.

"He is still a bit sore but he is progressing as well as the surgeons could hope," he said.

"He's talking, he's back to his normal self. He knows what is going on. He is not on a ventilator or anything like that. He is moving around, getting out of bed, albeit with some difficulty at this stage."

Lomu, a New Zealander born of Tongan descent, was told of the possibility of kidney failure just before the 1995 World Cup. However, he went on to have a massive impact at that tournament and played nearly nine years of top-level rugby, scoring 37 tries in 63 Tests from 1994-2002.

First selected for New Zealand in 1994, he was the youngest All Blacks player at 19 years 45 days.

[Qwackemall]

One of the three drugs he must remain on for the rest of his life is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list.
Prednisone - designed to help the body continue to accept a new kidney - is a steroid.

[injuryupdate]

It is very doubtful that Jonah will ever make it back to All Black or even Super 12 level, but he probably could play club rugby again. However, with the risks involved, why would he want to play club rugby?

The difference between elite and sub-elite players is not all that great percentage wise (in terms of total ability) and there is no doubt being a transplant recipient would decrease Jonah's playing ability (even just taking into account the Prednisolone tablets).

Even without the kidney problems, Jonah is at an age when many elite players no longer cut the mustard due to chronic body wear and tear. The ones who can play at elite level after 30 are generally players who have suffered very few injuries and illnesses over their career.

Jonah peaked as a player in the 1995 World Cup. Seeing him dominate the world cup again would be an impossible dream, like (now) seeing Greg Norman finally win a US Masters or seeing Martina Navratilova win another women's singles crown at Wimbledon.

[Qwackemall]

14/09/2004
By Marc Hinton
Former All Black star and kidney transplant recipient Jonah Lomu has spoken publicly for the first time since his life-saving operation, confirming he still hopes to make a comeback to top-level rugby.

Lomu was interviewed on TVNZ's Holmes programme on Monday night and looked in fine fettle as he spoke with host Paul Holmes about his dream to one day play for the All Blacks again.

The 29-year-old star of the 1995 and 1999 World Cups did deny speculation in a New Zealand Sunday tabloid that he was aiming to play in January's international sevens tournament in Wellington.

"It's funny that," Lomu told Holmes. "It's the first time I've ever heard of it."

But the superstar winger did confirm that his ambitions remained on track to make a full comeback to rugby. He also said that his progress since his kidney transplant from good friend and radio host Grant Kereama in late July had been encouraging.

Asked if he believed it was still possible, Lomu's face brightened: "More and more each day. I think I've still got a lot to offer."

He described himself as being "a wee while away" from being game ready but said that he was seeing improvements in his health "every day".

And it would seem he is not to be deterred even by some fairly useful young wingers now on the scene, with Fijian flyer Sitiveni Sivivatu about to become eligible for the All Blacks in December.

"To me it's a competition," he said of his rugby hopes. "There's some great wingers out there at the moment but I know what I've got to do.

"First and foremost I've got to make sure I'm in good shape. I'm getting close to it, but I've got to make sure I jog before I start sprinting."

Lomu, who was interviewed at the Clive Green gymnasium in Newmarket, said he had lost 13.5kg since the operation, but did concede a healthy percentage of that was in fluids drained from his body.

He has recently started running again, and was up to 25-minute outings at around three-quarters pace. He said he had now regained most of the feeling in his toes which he had lost for some time.

He Was My Saviour

Lomu told Holmes he never despaired of his situation - "It was the best it was going to be" - but he did deliver a glowing tribute to his friend Kereama whom he described as his "saviour".

The All Black great said Kereama had rung him out of the blue to confirm their blood types matched and the situation has just gone from there.

"I just said 'mate, I want you to really think about it, but the choice is up to you ...

"Grant is a very determined man," added Lomu. "We have a lot of things in common and one of them is once we've made our mind up we're down that road.

"He's a delightful guy, we enjoy each other's company ... to me he's my saviour in terms of doing what he [did]. I've always said you don't know where your friend is till he turns up.

"To me he's a friend who turned up, didn't ask for anything, didn't want anything. He just did it."


Lomu added through the transplant process he had been more afraid for his friend than himself because he was the one going through something "quite traumatic".

"What can you say about someone who's going to give you a new lease of life, and a second chance at it," added Lomu.

The Aucklander remains adamant he can return to the rugby field, and there is precedent for it in the United States, where basketballer Sean Elliot made a comeback to the NBA after a kidney transplant. Alonzo Mourning of the New Jersey Nets is also trying to do the same this year.

And you get the feeling that if anybody can, Lomu can. He's certainly well under way in the gruelling jouney back.

[injuryupdate]

Although it's not a huge number, it is interesting that 3 young professional athletes have all had kidney failure that has required transplants. Wondering whether there is a common thread that may have caused the problems. Anti-inflammatory use is probably the most likely culprit, perhaps untreated urinary tract infections.

A documentary on Italian soccer claimed a lot of ex-professional soccer players had motor neurone disease and claimed that some of the drugs or consequences of professional soccer may be to blame.

[Qwackemall]

Remember polynesians are more gentically prone to diabetes and kidney complications than other races. That would probably account for Lomu and Joeli Vidiri.

[Danny]

Lomu keen to return next year



Friday, November 12, 2004
RUGBY HEAVEN


Former All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu is still hopeful of a return to competitive rugby following his kidney transplant earlier this year.

The 29-year-old was speaking at a ceremony in Rome on Wednesday, where he received the Italian Rugby Federation's Rugby Lifestyle Award 2004 as part of the build-up to New Zealand's Test against the Azzurri this weekend.

"Everything is on target at the moment. I'm feeling great," Lomu said. "I've been given the OK to get on with training. In terms of playing, I'm hoping that some time next year I'll be pulling on a jersey, though the long-term goal is to pull on an All Blacks jersey again.

"My red blood cell count is still below normal, but it's a lot better than it used to be. I'm finding energy that I just didn't have before."

Lomu's appearance in Rome was his first outside New Zealand since his transplant in July.

At his peak, Lomu was one of most feared wingers in the game and he scored 37 tries in 63 international matches.

But in 1996, he was diagnosed with the rare nephrotic syndrome that gradually reduced his effectiveness.

He made his last appearance for the All Blacks against Wales in November 2002 and by the spring of the following year he was having dialysis three times a week.

Lomu received a particularly warm welcome on Wednesday from fellow Kiwi John Kirwan, now Italy's coach, who was his first room-mate when he became an All Black.

"It's great to see him back," said former winger Kirwan.

Meanwhile, there is debate within the All Blacks whether Daniel Carter talks to his teammates enough, but the Kiwis are convinced he has what it takes to make a successful Test career at five-eighth, starting against Italy.

Carter's development in the position will be among the most intriguing elements of New Zealand's four-match European tour.

Italy will be aware of the pressure on Carter to perform after the 22-year-old spent the past 18 months playing at inside-centre or fullback for the All Blacks, Canterbury and the Crusaders.

All Blacks coach Graham Henry said the true test of Carter's ability to adjust could not be gauged from training sessions alone, but there had been little he could fault when assessing his progress so far.

"He's been excellent. He's trained beautifully, he's done a huge amount of preparation personally on what we're doing," Henry said.

Reuters, NZPA

[Danny]

Jonah's comeback: step one, sevens
Saturday, January 15, 2005

Dreams are made of this: As far as he's concerned, Jonah Lomu hasn't scored his last try for the All Blacks.


All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu could use sevens rugby as the backdrop to a remarkable comeback following his debilitating kidney illness.

New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens yesterday said he spoke to Lomu several weeks ago and the former barnstorming winger had shown interest in playing sevens as part of an unlikely comeback following his kidney transplant operation last year.

Lomu, who scored 37 tries in 63 Tests for the All Blacks, late last year announced his intention to return to the playing field in 2005 after his kidney condition forced him to stop in 2003.

If Lomu could get through one of the infamous national sevens training camps it would prove he's ready for the rigours of the 15-a-side game, Tietjens said.

Tietjens hopes to discuss Lomu's future further with him at the national sevens tournament starting in Queenstown today.


Lomu has been invited as a special guest by tournament organisers, while Tietjens is on the hunt for the 16 contracted players he will take through the remainder of the world sevens circuit.

New Zealand is in a three-way tie with England and Fiji at the top of the leaderboard after two rounds, but there are still six rounds remaining, including the Wellington leg next month.

[Nicholas]

He may not play for the All Blacks or a Super 14 team again but he could be playing for the Gold Coast Titans. He will meet with Titans officials to discuss the possibilities of him playing for them this week.