Paul Cherry, 56, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 15 years ago. The father-of-two said: "The hospital said I should watch what I eat and drink, but when you don’t feel too bad you think it’s all rubbish." Three years later, Paul was in pain and had little appetite for food when he was diagnosed with fatty liver disease - a preventable condition caused by his unhealthy diet.
In 2021, he collapsed at home, vomiting blood. Paul was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery and taken into intensive care. His family was told he was unlikely to survive.
Thankfully, Paul did survive, but his health continued to decline and doctors told him the damage to his liver was so severe that he needed a liver transplant. While he waited for a donor liver, Paul had to have litres of fluid drained from his stomach every fortnight. He became aggressive and confused, as toxins built up in his bloodstream.
When a suitable donor liver was found in May 2023, Paul was given a 50/50 chance of surviving the transplant operation. Now, a year after his transplant, Paul said: "I couldn’t fault the service, but it was the most frightening experience of my life and a very steep learning curve. "I now have my bloods done every three weeks, then see my consultant who adjusts my medication – it’s less every time, and I won’t need to see him as often, which is a positive.
"I now eat a healthy diet, exercise gently and do everything I am advised to do, and think I’m doing my donor proud. I also ta.
