George Bailey-Haigh’s story
A special gift
The call for George Bailey-Haigh’s transplant came at ten minutes to midnight on his 45th birthday, one present, he says, he didn’t expect.
George had been diagnosed with a form of cirrhosis which meant that the blood vessels leading to his liver were closing down, gradually starving his liver of blood and as a consequence his body of oxygen.
Severe shortness of breath had lead George to seek medical advice and after many tests including CT scans, ultrasounds, tests for hepatitis and AIDS, and X-ray investigations, a problem with his blood was detected.
While George had been a regular and heavy drinker from the age of 18, he had been able to stop drinking for long periods of time.
Two years on from his initial diagnosis however, his cirrhosis was so serious with the complication of the hepato-pulmonary shunting syndrome type A – to give it its full title – that his consultant told him it was impossible to regulate his condition with drugs and if he were to survive he needed a transplant.
George was put on the list provided he could stop drinking completely for six months.
Recovery took three months and even then he was placed on the re-transplant list as there was some doubt that his new liver was going to remain fully functional. Seven years later, however, George is doing well and has set up his own website organisation to support people who are waiting and living with liver transplants.
“The biggest thanks go to my donor’s family,” says George “for their unselfish act and the wishes of their daughter to give life after death. Without such acts of kindness many of us would not be here today. If I had just one piece of advice to give following my experience, it would be ‘Be an organ donor.’"