Kevin McDonald on his life after lifesaving kidney surgery as he sends message to Fulham

Kevin McDonald’s first goal in five years in Exeter City’s win over Cambridge United last weekend was, by all accounts, a pretty special one.

It’s got nothing to do with the long wait, either – McDonald hasn’t exactly been the most prolific goalscorer during his playing career, but there have been some pretty significant mitigating factors at play.

Back in May 2021, McDonald’s life changed forever when he underwent lifesaving kidney surgery. At the time, a return to football was far from a guarantee.

In reality, though, that journey started almost a decade earlier when a routine medical before a switch to Burnley saw McDonald, then just a teenager, diagnosed with IgA nephropathy: a chronic kidney disease that slowly progresses to failure over a prolonged period.

The end goal was always going to be a transplant. As McDonald himself puts it, there is no cure for the disease and it was merely a case of “trying to grind it out for as long as possible” before undergoing surgery. That moment arrived when he reached stage five of the disease; meaning one of his kidneys had stopped functioning altogether. Kevin’s brother, Fraser, stepped in to save his sibling after a Royal Mail mix-up had prevented one of the midfielder’s close friends from doing so.

Understandably though, none of that was on McDonald’s radar when he was forced to digest the news that he had the devastating disease at the tender age of 20.

“When I first got diagnosed, to this day, I’d say it’s never really sunk in because I’ve just gone about life as normal. I didn’t feel any different and starting my football career as my sole focus at the end of the day,” McDonald tells Mirror Football . “I get a medical, I’m absolutely buzzing to sign for Burnley and then I get this. In the end, signing for Burnley and my career in England overpowered what was ultimately a serious condition.

“I remember at the time it was obviously serious and stuff, but I’d just passed a medical and I was like I’ve done well: I’m moving to England to play football. That’s where my head was more focused. They said at the time you’re going to need a transplant and so on, but looking back, I for sure never thought of the severity of it. Four years later it was probably still the same. Four years later after that, possibly similar with a little bit more understanding [of the situation] but I lived a normal life every single week, so it was the last thing on my mind.”

McDonald played with the disease for years and estimates that it was only when he hit 30 that he first started to notice things had deteriorated slightly. It was fairly innocuous things: the 34-year-old, who was playing for Fulham at the time, was falling behind in runs, for examples. But after a routine blood test, the severity of the situation began to hit home. McDonald was told that he needed a transplant and that resuming his football career was anything but a foregone conclusion.

Understandably, that hit hard. But even after undergoing the daunting procedure, there were fresh difficulties for McDonald to negotiate. His body initially rejected the new kidney, meaning the former Scotland international was forced into a prolonged hospital stay. Then, being high risk, he had to isolate himself for months during a gruelling recovery process alongside his brother and his wife, who was heavily pregnant at the time. He admits that was one of the toughest moments.

“There were plenty of times when it was mentally hard. The hardest part for me was, I left Fulham in the summer and May was the transplant, so I had a good four months in isolation, so I couldn’t really do anything anyway. I could only do the bare minimum and my wife was getting more and more pregnant. That part was tough for sure.”

But there were plenty more hardships to come. After getting the green light to resume training with Fulham, McDonald – who by now was a free agent after being released by the Whites – was struggling to find anybody willing to take a chance on him.

“They [Fulham] were brilliant with me again, but the hardest part was getting back into a club. I understand certain teams [not wanting to give him a deal] – maybe high-level Championship clubs; I knew I wasn’t going to get that sort of level even though I know I could still play there now.

“I won’t name clubs out of respect, but there were sides we would have never in a million years considered, and they were turning around and saying we’re not sure. I’m sat at home thinking: ‘F*** me’. I was fully training and good to go in December. I was back in a good place and flying at that time, but there was no options to go and train anywhere. I used contacts to go and train, but there wasn’t a contract at the end of it. I was going into places and training well but getting nowhere. I ended up in Scotland training with Dundee United and I did well and ended up signing for them for the second part of the season.

“There were signs that the way I’ve always played was still there. But what I would say is that the league didn’t suit me in any way, shape or form. Apart from the likes of Celtic and Rangers who are in control every game, it was a lot of long balls, second balls and tackling, running, chasing. I found that hard, but in some respects, it was perfect for me to put myself back into because I was getting little knocks and niggles. It was good to get back in somewhere; the manager was great and they were a great bunch of lads.

“The fans were on my side there but I knew it was time to move on [after his short-term deal was up]. I went to Derby pre-season and did well, but something was going on with my body, I had a problem with a disc pushing against a nerve in my back. I was good to go, to be honest with you, and then that – talk about timing! That period was probably harder than the transplant, to be honest with you.”

McDonald’s frustration at Derby ended up being the prelude to a challenging six-month period which consisted of numerous false dawns. After suffering another injury setback, McDonald returned to Fulham before he was given a call from Huddersfield just before Christmas. The opportunity to get back to a top level of football held an obvious appeal, but a “derisory” contract offer killed any prospect of a deal being done.

“It was unacceptable to be fair. I guess they tried their chances, and I hold no grudges, but it was disrespectful at the time. It was disappointing. I took Christmas off, I had a few beers and enjoyed myself with my family.

“[Then] I went to Bradford and again done well, so I know myself I’m capable. It’s not like I’m going to all these clubs and not getting anything. If I was going in and each team was saying no thanks, then fine, but I’m getting offers. I get offered a contract [by Bradford] but there’s a little bit of a mix-up; nothing bad. It should have worked out, but it didn’t. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, though, because now I’m here at Exeter. They’ve given me the chance to show I’m still a good player at a good level and it’s been great.”

McDonald’s fine strike in Exeter’s 2-0 win over Cambridge, fittingly, came just before the start of March, which is kidney month. The goal is a remarkable milestone that, in some ways, caps a truly torrid chapter of the midfielder’s life. The veteran has penned a short-term deal until the end of the season but is open to extending his stay at a club who have thrived since earning promotion to the third tier last year.

Gary Caldwell’s side are currently in mid-table and, up until recently, appeared to have an outside chance of cracking into the League One play-offs. McDonald admits that a rotten run of form prior to last weekend’s win has probably put paid to that, but he is adamant that the Grecians, a club run and owned by its supporters’ trust, are on an upward trajectory.

“It’s a good club; we just got a new training ground, which was needed. When I went in it was like going back in time! That’s in place now and we went into it at the start of last week. That makes such a huge, huge difference to a club. They’ve just come up from League Two, they’ve got a lovely training ground, the pitch at the stadium is absolutely top-drawer, which was a big thing for me as well, to be playing on that each week. Come the summertime, when the club tries to attract players, it’s going to be huge. It’s a great set of lads, a good set of staff. It’s a team that’s probably playing at 50 per cent of its potential at the moment. There are a lot of good young players in there and a good set of lads. It’s a club that I would say is on the rise, for sure.”

Working with Caldwell, who was handed his first managerial job by Wigan Athletic at the age of just 32 isn’t lost on McDonald, who admits he contemplated a future in coaching a lot during his rehabilitation. He has already had a taste of coaching at Fulham, where was able to take sessions with their Under-18 and Under-23 teams prior to his transplant. After being omitted from the Whites’ 25-man Premier League squad, McDonald even opted against making a move elsewhere to take a year out in order to focus on his health whilst delving deeper into coaching in the background.

“He [Caldwell] is good. Nice guy, tactically he’s very knowledgeable. He’s good with the players: he knows when to push them and when to come off. I think he’s ideal [to learn from]. I was fortunate enough at Fulham to work under good managers when I was looking into coaching, Marco Silva being one of the main ones. The manager asks for opinions here and there and stuff.

“It’s something that I’d like to go into. I know I’ve got a lot to offer on the football side myself, but at the same time, I’ve got an alright knowledge of coaching. I can’t thank them [Fulham] enough [for what they’ve done] in terms of before, after and still to this day. But overall, when I was training I knew I was still a good footballer and felt fine. I knew all along that I wanted to get back to playing, but I needed a back-up in place. It was probably a clever idea at the time not to play and coach instead.”

McDonald, who had stints with the captain’s armband at Fulham, still exudes an aura of authority. A transition into coaching feels like a natural progression, even if that may still be quite a way off.

For now, he comes across as eager to make up for lost time after winning a gruelling battle to get back onto the pitch. The most important aspect of his story, though, is that he currently feels good, healthy and is back doing what he’s always loved.

“I feel good,” McDonald replies when Mirror Football asks how he feels physically and mentally after such an ordeal. “If I came back to football and I looked baggy and sloppy and off the pace then I’d be the first to say: ‘Listen, that’s enough’. I feel good about myself and it’s an ideal club for me.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing football and being around a good group of lads every day. That’s a huge part of football: being allowed to go and have a laugh. In 20 years’ time when you’re sitting at home, these are the type of things you look back on. People go to work and do 8-6 every day and they’re shattered and stressed. We’re fortunate to go and run around playing football and come back and take the p*** out of each other. I’m happy with how I’ve performed so far and hopefully, I’ll continue to get better.”