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2004 November 4 - Solihull Boy Celebrates 5th Anniversary of Life Saving Transplant

NEWS RELEASE

4 November 2004

Solihull Boy Celebrates 5th Anniversary of Life Saving Operation

On 11th November Jason Phipps, aged 13 of Solihull, will celebrate a day that his parents once thought he might never see, the 5th anniversary of his life saving liver transplant.

Five years ago Jason was a normal eight year old who appeared to be in perfect health.  On a family holiday to Newquay, Wales, Jason suddenly became very ill, became jaundiced and his abdomen swelling.

Jason’ father Geoff explains:  “When Jason became ill we were on holiday, we took him to see a GP in Newquay who told us to get in touch with Aberystwyth hospital.  Once there we were still no clearer what was wrong with him and were referred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.”

At Birmingham the family was told that Jason had Wilson’s Disease, an inherited condition in which copper is not excreted properly from the body.  The copper builds up in the liver leading to liver damage.  Copper can also accumulate in other organs of the body too – particularly the brain and cause neurological problems.

Geoff continues: “When he was seen at Birmingham his condition was so bad that he was immediately placed on the emergency transplant list.  Luckily we didn’t have to wait long for a donor and within three weeks Jason had had his transplant.  When we were told how ill he was we were absolutely devastated as it appeared to come out of the blue and we had no time to prepare.”

Throughout all of this the family have been supported by the Children's Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF), a unique Birmingham-based national charity that helps fight liver disease in children and young people.

Geoff said: “The Foundation has been a fantastic support to us throughout this time, providing us with literature on Jason’s condition and support whenever we need it.   Jason’s doctors are amazed at just how well he is doing, but it is still a great comfort to know that CLDF is there as back up and support if we ever have any questions.  Prior to Jason being diagnosed I wasn’t even aware that children got liver disease, when in fact one in every 2,700 newborn babies will have liver disease and everybody has an equal chance of it being a member of their family.”

Catherine Arkley, chief executive of CLDF, said: “It is good to hear that Jason is doing so well after his transplant.  We need to raise awareness that children get liver disease and that it is not just babies that are affected.  As Jason’s case shows, children of all ages get liver disease.  Around half of childhood liver diseases will occur in infancy, but 20% of liver diseases occur in childhood, like with Jason and a further 30% occur in adolescence.   It is a common misconception that transplantation is a cure, it isn’t.  It is a treatment and the patient faces a lifetime of taking potent anti-rejection drugs.  This is one of the reasons why it is so important that the Foundation continues to receive support so that we can continue to fund vital research into why children get liver disease.”

Jason currently attends Birmingham Children’s Hospital every three months for check-ups and has recently joined a local football team.

If you would like more information about the work of CLDF or childhood liver disease please call 0121 212 3839, e-mail info@childliverdisease.org or visit www.childliverdisease.org

ENDS

If you would like more information on this story please contact Rebecca O’Connor on 0121 212 6012 or e-mail rebeccaOC@childliverdisease.org