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A patient who needed a liver transplant, after becoming seriously ill during her hen party, has thanked UHB staff for their amazing care.

Natasha O’Brien’s liver had grown too big for her body and she ended up in hospital while on her hen-do.

The 45-year-old was born with hereditary polycystic kidney disease, which in very rare cases can also cause liver cysts that continue to grow.

In May 2017, while on her hen do, one of the liver cysts ruptured. She was rushed to hospital and recommended she be transferred to QEHB the next day to see a specialist, where the possibility of a liver transplant was discussed.

Natasha said: “It was quite shocking and I burst into tears. I had thought about maybe needing a kidney transplant, but never for my liver.

“The Transplant Team were amazing and the information they arm you with is incredible.”

After meeting with lots of staff in many different roles, including surgeons, dietitians and physiotherapists, and taking tests, it was time for Natasha to wait for that phone call.

“I made sure my phone was always charged and if I ever went away I made sure the liver co-ordinators knew about it. I was always ready for that call.

“I loved that the team never let me feel like I’d been forgotten about. They checked in on me and gave me updates.

“I finally got the call at one in the morning in 2018, I was in such a shock I couldn’t even talk to them!”

On 8 November 2018, at 04:00, Natasha went into surgery for her liver transplant.

Complications during her surgery left surgeons concerned that the transplant wouldn’t take, until they realised the donor liver had an extra vein, which was unusual. With the help of some additional vascular surgery, they were able to connect the extra vein to her inferior vena cava.

Now, four years after her transplant, Natasha’s life is mostly back to how it was post-transplant, and this year she was able to travel abroad for the first time since her operation – and her first stop was Disney World in Florida.

While she will be on immunosuppressants and aspirin for the rest of her life, and she has been left with a ‘big beautiful scar’, which she is remarkably proud of, Natasha wants the team who cared for her to know that she’s doing well.

She said: “They’re amazing people who do this day-in, day-out and they only really get to see us when we’re ill. They don’t really get to see us at this stage in our journey, so I just want them to know I’m doing really well and it’s all thanks to them.

“I’m thriving, so thank you!”

Natasha is back to working full-time, travelling the world and even back exercising. She also uses her experiences to help and reassure other patients, and raises money for the UHB Charity.

She added: “It was hard and traumatic, but it’s cathartic and it makes me feel better to use my experience to reassure other patients. It makes it all worthwhile.”