1. Up and at it - what is your morning routine?
I am up at 6.30am, usually, and in the pool or gym by seven o’clock. If I have to cycle or run, it’s coffee and something to eat first.
2. What might you eat in a typical working day for...
Breakfast? Eggs – either fried/poached/scrambled/boiled on sourdough toast, with loads of butter - and a black coffee.
Lunch? Lunch will be a sandwich or a vegan stew or soup or else a salad of some type.
Evening meal? Probably chicken or fish with some form of carbs and veggies/salad or maybe a veggie curry or pasta dish. I’m partial to a good sourdough pizza too.
3. Is nutrition important to you – do you take health supplements?
Yes, nutrition gets top priority. It’s one of the most critical things we can do for our health and wellbeing. I’ve to be careful with my transplant meds and supplements so, bar ferrous sulphate, I try to get it all I need from food. I do take a probiotic and vitamin D every day, too.
4. Ever been on a diet – if so, how did it go?
Nope. Unless you count a renal diet which was medically enforced when I was on dialysis. To be honest, I’m not a fan - everything in moderation and ‘move more’ is my mantra.
5. Weekend treat?
If I want a treat, I don’t care what day it is. Treats usually fluctuate between salt/sweet popcorn, an M&S teacake and sour cream pretzels. I am terrible for eating boiled sweets - usually rhubarb and custard, when driving.
Walking is also the most underrated exercise - and it’s free, it’s about finding something you love doing and then keep doing it
— Orla Smyth
6. How do you keep physically and mentally fit?
I train six days a week and walk my dog for one to one-and-a-half hours every day. This, of course, helps with mental fitness, but I also have amazing friends who I talk to regularly, along with my husband and family. Also, my involvement with Transplant Sport NI is a great support network. Transplant Sport NI is a great charity I’ve been involved with since its inception. We support transplant patients’ physical and mental wellbeing by encouraging them to get involved in sport and exercise. We send a team to the British Transplant Games every year and support athletes selected to attend the World Transplant Games every two years. We are sending a team to the first ever Transplant World Cup in Italy this September.
7. Best tip for everyday fitness?
Just get out the door. Walking is also the most underrated exercise - and it’s free. It’s about finding something you love doing and then keep doing it. I have a friend who got into rollerskating - that’s an amazing whole-body work out and a fun thing to do.
8. Were you a fan of schools sports/PE or do you have a memory from those days that you would rather forget?
I’m lucky in that I was always sporty. My main sport when at school and pre-transplant was football.
9. Teetotal or tipple?
Teetotal - bar a very rare pint of Guinness.
10. Stairs or lift?
Stairs.
11. What book are you currently reading?
I am terrible and only ever read when on holiday. The last book I read was Paul McGrath’s autobiography which I read during a 30-hour ferry crossing to Bilbao.
12. Best Netflix/streaming TV?
Oh, there are way too many... I just finished Loudermilk and One Day and loved both. If you asked me for the best ever, it has to be The Sopranos.
13. Any new skills or hobbies?
Well, I’ve taken up triathlon in the last year, although the jury is still out as to whether or not I like it...
14. How do you relax?
To be honest, I’m one of those people who is always ‘on the go’ and I actually find training therapeutic. I love walking with the dog in the Mournes, drinking coffee and watching the world go by.
15. What would you tell your younger self?
You are not your thoughts and ‘what ifs’ are mental torture. You will always have the strength to deal with something when it happens.
I am alive and well because a lady died young and gave me my life back, I am not afraid of dying; my fear is not making the most of the time I’ve been given
— Orla Smyth
16. What are your goals for 2024?
To get the NI transplant football team to the World Cup in one piece and hopefully come back with some silverware. I’d also love to get back to consistent running after a year of ‘issues’.
17. What time do you get to bed and do you think you get enough sleep?
I get to bed at 10pm at the latest and get around eight-and-a-half to nine hours each night. I am also partial to a wee post-lunch power nap.
18. Biggest gripe or regret?
I genuinely don’t believe in regrets; I think we make decisions which were right for us at the time and there’s no point torturing ourselves about them afterwards. With regard to gripes, I have too many, although one of the main ones is the demise of our public services and the NHS.
19. Have your priorities in life or perspectives changed?
I became very ill after a failed transplant when I was 24 and spent a lot of time on Level 11 of the Belfast City Hospital that resulted in living for a few years on dialysis before getting the call for my second transplant. I’ve had my kidney for nearly 17 years. I’ll never be able to put into words the gratitude I have for my donor and her family who supported her wishes. That experience changes your perspective on every aspect of your life. I actually feel very lucky to have realised at a very young age just how precarious life can be and what’s actually really important. This has framed every decision I’ve made and given me the courage to make big bold decisions about how I want to spend my life.
20. Has coronavirus – or any health epiphany or life event - changed your attitude towards your own mortality?
I am alive and well because a lady died young and gave me my life back. I am not afraid of dying; my fear is not making the most of the time I’ve been given.
