Paul Bradley was saved from a health disorder because of his brother’s death.
The condition was totally unknown to their family until his brother Dara was diagnosed with it in 2004, but it turned out that Paul and their three other brothers, Peter, Tom and Ciaran, also tested positive for it.
Haemochromatosis is an inherited condition that is passed on from your parents, according to the HSE. It causes iron to build up in your body over many years.
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This build-up of iron is also called an iron overload. It can cause unpleasant symptoms. If it is not treated, it can damage your liver, joints, pancreas and heart.
Tragically, a few months after Dara was diagnosed, he passed away at the age of 52.
“It's such an extraordinary thing that if it hadn't been discovered in Dara, this time next year I'd have been in the same position,” Paul told The Daily Mirror in 2006.
“My brothers and I could have gone merrily to our deaths in our early 50s. It's a very weird situation to be in.”
The EastEnders star explained that while it can be a “timebomb” there are ways to control it by donating blood.
“Dara had been feeling extremely tired for a long time but, like most people, he put it down to working too hard,” he shared. “He went to New Zealand for a fortnight and took some iron tablets to boost his energy - that was like pouring petrol on the fire.
“While he was away, his neighbour died from haemochromatosis. He recognised the symptoms she'd had and something made him go to the doctor for a blood test. Sadly, the disease had opened up cancers on his liver and he died four months later.”
He shared that it was really important for him to raise awareness of the condition.
"If one person recognises the symptoms and gets checked out, that's potentially a life saved," he said.
Paul’s parents are Irish, with haemochromatosis very common in Ireland. Around 1 in 5 Irish people are carriers of the gene, according to Tallaght University Hospital.
The HSE has listed the early symptoms of haemochromatosis, they include:
feeling very tired all the time (fatigue)
weight loss
weakness
joint pain
not being able to get or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)
irregular periods or absent periods
If haemochromatosis is not treated early, you may get serious complications. These can lead to symptoms such as:
loss of sex drive (libido)
darkening of the skin - if you are white you may look permanently tanned
tummy (abdominal) pain and swelling
yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice) - this may be harder to see on black and brown skin
feeling thirsty all the time and needing to pee often
joint pain and stiffness, especially in your fingers
chest pain
shortness of breath
swollen hands and feet
an irregular heartbeat
your testicles getting smaller
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