GARETH FARRELLY had a tumultuous career but is grateful to be alive after suffering a medical scare several years ago.
The Irishman began his career at Aston Villa before helping Everton avoid relegation in 1998.
He scored the goal that kept the Toffees up against Coventry to relegate Bolton instead – a club he joined a year later.
Farrelly, 47, became Sam Allardyce’s first signing and he played a big role in their promotion campaign, including scoring in the Championship play-off final against Preston.
But he fell out with Big Sam and loan spells at Rotherham, Burnley and Bradford followed, before a player-manager spell at Bohemians in his native Ireland.
In May 2008 while playing for Cork Farrelly was travelling on the M40 when he became ill and began to vomit blood.
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He managed to call an ambulance and was taken to hospital where a lump was found, with a CT scan later discovering an aneurysm of the splenic artery.
Farrelly spent four days in intensive care following surgery which removed the artery as well as 20 per cent of his stomach, 40 per cent of his pancreas, part of his colon and his entire speen.
Reflecting on the scare, the former midfielder told The Guardian: “It’s eight and half years ago and I still think all the time that I am part of the 10% that live.
“I don’t get up, open the curtains and smell the roses every day or anything like that but when you’re having a bad day it is nice to reflect on it.
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“My kids were incredibly young and you don’t want to think about what could have happened. I met amazing people from the moment I phoned an ambulance to when I left the hospital to do my rehabilitation. I’m only here because of them.
“It was a horrendous, difficult recovery. I sat there thinking: ‘What if I can never play football again?’ Any player will tell you that they are incredibly resilient in the face of adversity but I had to think about what I was going to do in life if I couldn’t play again.
“I had the management experience at the time but that’s now become even more competitive than before, so I thought about my interest in law.”
Farrelly now works a solicitor for Bermand Law Firm in commercial litigation but revealed he would not work in law if not for his illness.
He attended Edge Hill University after being offered a place after passing a fast-track course, and studied while playing for Morecambe on a non-contract basis, quitting the club in 2010 to attend university full-time.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
