"I was just about to leave for a function and I crashed. My kidney was failing, and my body had become toxic, it started to shut down," he told the New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
He was told there was a slim chance his kidney would survive.
Lomu was diagnosed with the debilitating kidney disorder, nephrotic syndrome, in 1995, a year after his All Black debut. In 2004 he received a transplant from Kereama which helped return him to good health and he had recently been training for the Fight for Life boxing match on December 3.
Lomu, who had been training with heavyweight David Tua, was still on the bill last night. Medical experts have poured cold water on the suggestion that Lomu's intense boxing training contributed to his hospital stay.
New Zealand's deceased donor waiting list has about 600 people on it, with an average wait time of three years. The rarer the person's blood type, the longer the wait.
If Lomu loses his kidney, the All Black hero is unlikely to be short of offers for a new one. His wife, Nadene, immediately offered one of her own, if compatible. Nadene Lomu, who is also her husband's manager, did not return the Herald's calls last night.
