What Happened To Jonah Lomu?

The stupendous New Zealand rugby player was at the top of his game in the mid 1990s when everything got cut short by the diagnosis of debilitating kidney disease. He had nephritis (or nephrotic syndrome).  This is when the kidneys have been damaged and leak protein back into the blood.  It can be a mild disorder in chiildren, but in adults it is life-threatening.

Lomu spent the next 8 years in a kind of Hell.  He endured up to 8 hours of dialysis every day just to stay alive.  His chance at recovery has only arrived because of the donation of a kidney in 2004, from a good friend, New Zealand sports presenter Grant Kereama.

Recently, Lomu was turned down for a contract in the top New Zealand league (the Super 14), but he continues with the national side, media appearances and charity events.  At 31 years old he refuses to give up on the game he loves.  Latest reports (November 2006) is that he is considering a return to Welsh rugby.