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2004 October 18 - Double Transplant Lisa Celebrates Miracle 21st Birthday

NEWS RELEASE

18 October 2004

DOUBLE TRANSPLANT LISA CELEBRATES MIRACLE 21st BIRTHDAY

On 27 October, Lisa Cheal of Brentwood celebrates the 21st birthday her family at one time never dared hope she would see.

At just three months old, Lisa was diagnosed with a rare liver condition called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. This disease can cause inflammation of the liver, which can ultimately mean having to undergo a liver transplant.

Up until Lisa’s 13th birthday, she was relatively well but her condition deteriorated rapidly and she and her family were told that a life saving liver transplant was their only hope.  Lisa explains: “I was petrified.  I’d been living a reasonably normal life up until that point so when all that changed, I was scared that I was going to die.”

Shortly after the first transplant Lisa’s body rejected her new liver and within three and a half weeks she was having a second operation.  She continued:  “When the hospital told me I would need the second operation I was very ill, it all happened very quickly and I was very upset and frightened.  But since then I have done really well.  My main concern now is that I have to pay for the prescriptions for my immuno-supressant drugs; I don’t think people who’ve had transplants should have to, as these drugs keep me alive.  People don’t seem to realise that a liver transplant is not a cure, it is a treatment for liver disease and I will have to take medication for the rest of my life.”

Throughout her illness Lisa and her family have been supported by the Children's Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF), a unique national charity that fights liver disease in children and young people.  Lisa says: “The Foundation has been a great support to me and my family.  When I was in hospital undergoing surgery the people from the Foundation would come and see how we were.  CLDF gave us lots of useful information about my condition and helped my parents to find health insurance for me when we went on holiday.  It is a great comfort to know that CLDF is always there.” 

Catherine Arkley, chief executive of CLDF, said: “We’re all delighted that Lisa is doing so well and about to celebrate her milestone birthday. Very few people realise that children get liver disease, when in fact two children are diagnosed with a liver disease every day. Effective research is the key to providing a future for children and young people with a childhood liver disease. Whilst transplant has revolutionised the outlook in some conditions such as Lisa’s, there is an urgent need to find the answers to the many childhood liver diseases for which we have no effective treatment, let alone a cure.  The only way we can continue to fund this vital research is with the help of our supporters.”

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

ENDS

For more information about this story please contact Rebecca O’Connor on 0121 212 6012 or e-mail rebeccaOC@childliverdisease.org