AN Irvine woman whose life was saved by a liver transplant has backed a national campaign to get people talking about organ donation.

Elaine Lovie shared her story to highlight how the NHS Organ Donor Register changes lives, and hopes her experience will encourage people to share their organ donation wishes with loved ones.

The 47-year-old mother of two was placed on the urgent liver transplant list in the summer of 2011 after a mystery illness perforated her bowel, affected her kidneys and severely damaged her liver sending her health into rapid decline.

Elaine’s condition started with a brief loss of speech, but tests showed there was nothing to worry about. It was only returning from holiday a few weeks later that she became gravely ill.

Elaine said: “We arrived home on the Friday and I felt just the same. But on the Saturday morning, I woke up absolutely drenched in sweat and I knew something was wrong. I didn’t feel well at all.

“My husband Raymond rushed me straight to A&E where I was told that I was jaundiced.

“I was taken straight to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock so that doctors could hopefully get to the bottom of whatwas wrong with me. By the following day, my bowel had perforated and the damage had affected my kidneys. I was told I needed to be transferred to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to undergo a biopsy, but I wasn’t physically well enough to even make the journey for another two weeks.” When Elaine eventually arrived, doctors carried out a biopsy along with other various tests to assess the extent of the damage caused.

The next day she received the devastating news.

“I was told that although my kidneys and perforated bowel were healing, my liver was barely functioning,” she said. “The doctor prepared me for the worst. I was told that I had a very slim chance of making it through the weekend.” Elaine was placed on the urgent transplant list, and a suitable donor liver became available less than 48 hours after she was listed, which ultimately saved her life.

She said: “When I woke up after the operation, I couldn’t fully comprehend what I had just gone through. It all happened so quickly. I just remember looking around and thinking ‘I’m going to be OK’. I didn’t realise how ill I had actually been until I had the transplant.

“I felt like a new person. Everyone commented on how well I looked compared to how I was before the transplant.

“My eyes had been yellow and sunken but after the surgery I looked instantly healthier.

“I’m so grateful to my donor. They’ve given me such an amazing gift. I was very naïve before. I’d never known anyone who had experienced organ donation in any way so it was never something I thought about.

“As soon as this happened to me, all my friends and family joined the Register straight away.

“It’s so important to speak about organ donation with your loved ones. If you don’t make your wish to be an organ donor known then that wish could be wasted – a wish that could have saved several lives.

“It’s not an easy conversation to have but it needs to be done.”