THE GIFT OF LIFE

Two women share their incredible stories about groundbreaking transplants

- KIM WILLIS

'She's always been a fighter'

Denise Young, 62, lives in Falmouth with her husband, David, 68.

In all the excitement of bringing our baby daughter Kelly home, my husband David and I didn’t notice anything of concern. We introduced her to her brother Ryan, then 18 months, and settled into family life. But when Kelly was six weeks old, the health visitor spotted yellowing in her eyes. After numerous tests, Kelly was referred to King’s College Hospital in London, where she was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts.

As Kelly’s bile ducts weren't working, her liver was being poisoned. After a failed operation at 10 weeks old, she was put on the transplant list. Despite our complete faith in Kelly's medical team, we felt very afraid. A child on Kelly’s ward had become the first child recipient of a living liver transplant, so David and I asked to be tested as potential donors.

We had lots of assessments, including a psychological test to ensure we knew the risks. Incredibly, we were both compatible, but as David was the breadwinner, we decided I should be the donor.

HEALING TOGETHER