Man in desperate need of liver rings in new year with new organ

By Sarah Lumley and Kirsten Grant via SWNS

A man in desperate need of a liver found a donor on New Year's Eve and woke up from surgery with a new organ just after midnight on Jan 1.

Chris Matthews, 31, had spent an agonizing 15 months on the transplant waiting list.

His health was rapidly deteriorating due to rare genetic condition alpha A1 deficiency, which causes lung and liver problems.

Chris' family were unsure if he would even make it as his sodium levels plummeted critically low which would have rendered him ineligible for a transplant.

But Chris and his wife Bethany, 30, from Swindon, England, were overwhelmed when they were told on December 31 that a potential match had been found for a liver transplant.

And just two hours later, Chris was being taken into the operating theatre, for the gruelling 10-hour long transplant surgery.

And as the clock struck midnight to welcome in the new year, Bethany received the call to say the surgery had been completed successfully.

Chris woke up between 12 A.M. and 1 A.M. New Year's Day 2022 with the new organ.

Bethany, who is mom to the couple's five-year-old daughter, Sophia-Rose, said: "It was perfect timing. It couldn't have been better.

"It was amazing because his old liver was out in 2021 and then we started the year on a great note. 2022 is going to be our year.

"It was just what we needed, and it really came at just the right time."

Bethany, who has not been able to see her husband in person since December 22, added that the last couple of weeks have been a "whirlwind."

"It's been overwhelming. We didn't really have time to process it after we got the initial call saying they had found a potential match for him," she said.

"That call was at 1 P.M. , and by 3.30 P.M. they were taking him down for surgery.

"But it's been a long road to get there, and neither of us can really put into words just how much this means to us.

"Chris has been given a second chance at a normal life with me and with our daughter."

Chris, who runs Grange Leisure and Community Centre in Swindon, was only officially diagnosed with alpha A1 deficiency in 2018, but had always had it lying dormant.

"It didn't really impact us at all, and he wasn't even aware he had it until a few years ago,"Bethany said.

"He went into hospital in 2018 with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and they noticed his liver was showing massive signs of deterioration since a random ultra-sound scan he'd had done in 2015.

"But everything was normal at that point. They told us that he'd probably need a liver transplant at some point, most likely in his 50s, but it wasn't an imminent worry."

But in August 2020, Bethany said that Chris came home unwell from work on a Monday evening - and by the Wednesday, he was in hospital.

"That's when we knew that something was going to have to be done sooner," she said.

Chris' health continued to decline, until he was forced to give up work and driving in the summer of 2021.

"By July 2021, if we did a day out on a weekend, Chris would need a full to days to recover afterwards,"Bethany said.

"We got him a mobility scooter so that he could take Sophia to school - but even that had trailed off by the end of September."

By November, Chris was admitted to hospital to have 16 liters of fluid drained off his lungs.

And on December 15, he was admitted to Great Western Hospital in Swindon with critically low sodium levels - before being transferred to the ICU at London's Royal Free Hospital on December 19.

"There was a good week where we really weren't sure whether he was going to make it to getting a transplant. I think about 20 percent of patients don't,"Bethany said.

But Bethany said it has been a "massive weight" lifted to know Chris' surgery has now been carried out successfully, and that he will soon be home with his daughter.

"Sophia hasn't seen her daddy since December 16. We've told her that he needed his batteries changed, and that he's getting better," she said.

"But she's a real live wire, and she's so excited for him to come home."

Chris is still recovering in the ICU at Royal Free Hospital, and Bethany has not yet been told how much longer he will need to remain on that ward.

But while he has been in recovery, Chris has been encouraging people to donate to the British Liver Trust - and has so far managed to raise £1,500 ( $2,036) just from his hospital bed.

"We're just so grateful for everyone who has been involved in this,"Bethany said.

"The Royal Free Hospital in London have been amazing for us, and have taken such good care of Chris.

"But his doctor and nurse at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon have also gone above and beyond for us, we could not have asked for better from them.

"Chris also really wants to encourage people to talk to their loved ones about what their intentions are with organ donations.

"There is a national organ shortage at the moment, but the ultimate decision still lies with your family to make on your behalf.

"So it's really important to talk to them about what your wishes are, and make sure they know that."