A ride to remember

A patient who received a liver transplant two years ago took to the road to make a special return trip to the hospital where he received his life-saving treatment.

James Lawton, 45, from Oxford, cycled 60 miles with two friends through the night. The trio travelled from his home to the Royal Free Hospital (RFH) to raise awareness and funds for PSC UK, a charity for people with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease in which bile ducts inside and outside the liver become inflamed and scarred, and eventually can narrow or block.

James wanted to commemorate the journey taken by the ambulance which collected him in the early hours for his transplant the following day.

On arrival at the hospital, this time on two wheels, James visited some of the staff who had supported him before, during and after his transplant.

​​​​​James, a software developer, said: “I wanted to do something that would push me to train and encourage me to stay healthy so I came up with this plan.”

James was diagnosed with PSC back in 2006 but was mostly symptom-free until 2019 when he developed jaundice and fatigue. He had a transplant assessment, but his health improved and he managed to hold off needing the transplant before going downhill again in December 2021. He was finally put on the transplant list in March 2022.

On his first attempt to receive a donor James tested positive for COVID-19 and wasn’t able to go ahead as doctors didn’t want him fighting an infection while he was on immunosuppressants.

A more urgent case which came in at the last minute meant he missed out at the second attempt, but the third time the call came the transplant went ahead.

Since then James has made a steady recovery. He paid tribute to the staff who supported him during his transplant journey.

James said: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who cared for me. From Mr Iype who performed my transplant operation, to the various nurses who cared for me in ICU and on the ward, to Nati who chatted with me while she cleaned my room, to Dr Patch and all the hepatology team – everyone provided me with excellent care in those early days. But the biggest thanks go to the transplant co-ordinators who were, and continue to be, a great support for me – special thanks to Michael and Emma who were with me and helped me through each of the days when I had received a call for transplant.”

He added: “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my donor – for the decision they made, that their family honoured. I’m so grateful that my wife Bex and I get to watch the kids grow up together. I can’t thank my donor enough for their generosity and all the life that I now enjoy because of it.”