Family of seriously ill woman in desperate need of two new lungs makes final plea for organ donor
Libby Nash is being treated in intensive care at Belfast City Hospital after falling ill over the weekend and has been told she will not be allowed to return home until she has had the transplant operation.
It's the latest devastating blow for a Randallstown woman who has been waiting almost six years for a double lung transplant — far longer than most people wait for a matching organ to be found.
Her sister, Jacqueline Letters, said: “We don't want people to do anything, we just want them to think.”
“There may be a family somewhere that is going through a really difficult time and they may see this and make a decision to help our family.
“Her husband James hopes there is someone who can give Libby the gift of life.”
Mrs Nash has been living with a life-threatening disease called Cystic Fibrosis (CF) her whole life and even had to give up her honeymoon to receive the vital treatment she needed to stay alive.
CF affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, clogging them with thick mucus, making it difficult to breathe and digest food. The disease causes chronic infection and inflammation of the lungs.
Diagnosed aged just three, Libby spent most of her childhood in and out of hospital with her lungs deteriorating until doctors told her her only hope of survival was a double lung transplant.
But with only a small proportion of the population on the NHS organ donor register, she waited almost six years for a suitable organ to be found – significantly longer than the average wait of 519 days for a lung transplant.
She recorded her anxiety in her diary to the Belfast Telegraph and in January expressed hope that 2012 would be the year she could have the life-saving operation.
Lynne Holt, transplant coordinator at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, where patients from Northern Ireland go for lung transplants, said Nash was one of nine people waiting for a lung transplant in the area. “It's a major operation, but it's a life-saving operation,” Holt said.
“I want people to understand how desperately we need donors.
“It is so important that as many people as possible register to be donors and discuss their wishes with their families.
“People waiting for lung transplants wait different lengths of time for their surgery depending on their body size, blood type and tissue type. In Libby's case, she has been waiting a very long time.”
Health Minister Edwin Poots, who met Ms Nash at her home, said he was upset to hear her condition had deteriorated.
“I met Libby in August 2011 and was amazed by her determination,” he said.
“She is truly an inspiration. I send her my heartfelt congratulations and hope that she receives her life-saving transplant surgery as soon as possible.”
“This further highlights how important it is for everyone to register as an organ donor. This simple act can save or extend someone's life, which is truly an incredible gift.”
background
There are nine people waiting for a lung transplant and five for a heart transplant in Northern Ireland. To register and save a life, text SAVE to 84118, call 0300 1232323 or
Organ Donation
However, organs can only be used with the family's permission, so it is essential that those wishing to donate discuss this wish with their relatives.
