
Girl, 2, whose life was saved by new liver as a baby, wins silver medal at British Transplant Games
Myla Duffey, pictured preparing with her mum, below, grabbed second place in her obstacle race event.
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It was a proud moment for parents Laura and Liam Duffey, both 31, who were told their daughter might not live to see her first birthday after she was born with damaged bile ducts.
Myla's only hope of survival was a transplant so Laura's best friend, Naedean Marshall, donated part of her liver.
Laura, of Stirling, central Scotland, said at the venue in Abingdon, Oxon: 'It was such a shock when we were told what was wrong with her.
"We didn't know what the future was going to hold.
'It was terrifying.
"They told us that without a transplant, Myla wouldn't live to see her first birthday.
'We couldn't believe it when Naedean said she was willing to help.
'I will never be able to repay her for what she has done for Myla - she's a true life hero."
Laura added: 'Watching her being presented with her silver medal was an amazing moment.'
My 2-year-old son needs a liver and bowel transplant to live and it's a horrible thought to loose a child but we need to talk about organ donation
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The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
My friends had to subsidise the cost of running my vital oxygen therapy
I am dependent on long-term oxygen therapy after a double lung transplant. I'm entitled to reimbursement of the excess electricity used by the oxygen concentrator and have received quarterly payments of about £48 from Vivisol, which administers rebates on behalf of the NHS. However, I was forced to stay with friends and family for a year after my house was flooded, and I spent a further two months convalescing at my daughter's house after a heart operation. I received no rebates during that time, and Vivisol told me l would not be reimbursed while I was not living at home, which means my hosts had to subsidise my treatment. SS, East Sussex The rebate scheme is intended to protect eligible patients who rely on an oxygen concentrator from spiralling energy costs. I see that Vivisol's website states, in passing, that patients are eligible for the cost of using the machine at their main address. This strikes me as insufficiently clear, as well as potentially unfair. It's a no-brainer that those with such serious health issues might have to relocate, as you did, for convalescence, for respite care or building work. It seems unreasonable to me to expect friends and family to foot what can be a considerable bill for treatment and, since concentrators record electricity consumption on an integrated meter unconnected to the household meter, it is straightforward to be able to monitor the costs involved. I first approached NHS England to ask if this restriction was NHS policy and whether there were exemptions for cases such as yours. It referred me to the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board, which explained that patients can nominate a temporary address as their main residence via their service provider in circumstances such as yours. In the meantime, Vivisol responded to my contact by agreeing to reinstate and backdate your rebates to cover the period while you were away. A spokesperson said: 'All communication does highlight that the eligibility only applies at the patient's main address. As a result of your email, we will review to identify if that can be made clearer.' We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.


BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Sussex organ recipient talks about transplant story 40 years on
A transplant recipient from West Sussex has seen himself in a public information film for the first time since it was made more than 40 years Ayres from Bognor Regis was featured in a half-hour documentary, Towards A Better Life - A Gift Of Life, which discussed the organ donation system and how recipients could still live a healthy life following a 66-year-old had kidney failure of unknown cause and said that since the operation, he has always celebrated having a second chance in life. "I remember doing the interview but I don't think I ever saw the final film – it's so amusing to see it," he said. Mr Ayres was filmed by the Central Office of Information's (COI) scientific division in the early 1980s before the organisation closed in segment showed him taking part in a radio phone-in about transplants at BBC Radio Solent."I'm surprised to see how fit and youthful I was," Mr Ayres added. "I remember doing the interview in Southampton with BBC South and feeling nervous."The style of documentaries has changed so much since then, it was very sober and informative." The documentary explores medicine and public attitudes, featuring interviews with people on dialysis experiencing kidney failure, the family of an organ donor, and the work of the national organ matching team in the time, there were about 1,000 transplants a year and about 2,500 people on the waiting 2024 to 2025, more than 4,500 transplants have been carried out a year and about 8,000 people are on the waiting list, according to NHS Blood and Dr Maurice Slapak, who also founded the World Transplant Games in 1978, performed Mr Ayres' first transplant and and oversaw the Ayres went on to work in local government for 35 years, completed a master's degree, sailed around the world in the 1989 Fastnet race as part of a transplant team, and sailed around the UK. 'Choice to live' "I feel incredibly grateful to have had the transplants," he said. "I always think of the donor family who in their hours of pain and loss gave people the gift of life."The doctors don't really know exactly why some transplants last and others don't."I'm lucky to still have mine. It has allowed me the choice to live a fulfilling life with no constraints."Mr Ayres added he encouraged people to support organ donation to help "change someone's life".Chris Callaghan, a consultant kidney and pancreas transplant surgeon and NHS Blood and Transplant's clinical lead for organ utilisation, said: "Richard's story shows the power of organ donation – he has led a full life and can look back at himself as a young transplant recipient 40 years ago."Sadly, as was the case in the 1980s, people still die every day in need of a transplant."


The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
Girl, 2, whose life was saved by new liver as a baby, wins silver medal at British Transplant Games
A TWO-year-old whose life was saved by a new liver as a baby has scooped a silver medal at the British Transplant Games. Myla Duffey, pictured preparing with her mum, below, grabbed second place in her obstacle race event. 4 4 It was a proud moment for parents Laura and Liam Duffey, both 31, who were told their daughter might not live to see her first birthday after she was born with damaged bile ducts. Myla's only hope of survival was a transplant so Laura's best friend, Naedean Marshall, donated part of her liver. Laura, of Stirling, central Scotland, said at the venue in Abingdon, Oxon: 'It was such a shock when we were told what was wrong with her. "We didn't know what the future was going to hold. 'It was terrifying. "They told us that without a transplant, Myla wouldn't live to see her first birthday. 'We couldn't believe it when Naedean said she was willing to help. 'I will never be able to repay her for what she has done for Myla - she's a true life hero." Laura added: 'Watching her being presented with her silver medal was an amazing moment.' My 2-year-old son needs a liver and bowel transplant to live and it's a horrible thought to loose a child but we need to talk about organ donation 4 4