A health worker has thanked the donor who has given her the ‘gift of life’ with a liver transplant.

Emma, 39, from Tavistock, was sharing her experiences during Organ Donation Week (September 22–28) to highlight the urgent need for organ donors and to pay tribute to the donor and family who gave her the ultimate gift of life.

Emma was just 17 when she was diagnosed with auto-immune hepatitis after developing severe itching, jaundice and spending weeks in hospital undergoing tests.

For many years, her condition was managed with medication and close monitoring. However, in 2012, after the birth of her son, Emma suffered a massive flare-up that marked the start of a steady decline. Over time, her liver sustained significant damage, leading to cirrhosis, severe portal hypertension and regular hospital admissions.

By late 2024, Emma’s health deteriorated rapidly. She went into kidney failure, developed ascites and hepatic encephalopathy, and was told she would need a liver transplant – news that came as a huge shock.

Emma said: “I looked unrecognisable. I was swollen with so much fluid, my skin was bright yellow and my eyes were so yellow they looked green. My son didn’t want to visit anymore because it was scaring him. I couldn’t even look at myself so I wasn’t surprised, but I missed him so much and didn’t know if I would see him again. I could see the strain it was putting on everyone, my family tried to put on a smile but I could see on their faces they were losing hope. I couldn’t eat anymore, I couldn’t wake up, everything hurt and deep down I knew I had days, if that.”

After six months of getting sicker, in June 2025, Emma finally received the call about an available donor liver. She was rushed to King’s College Hospital for surgery: “I woke after the transplant to immediately feel better – I was me again.”

Now in recovery, Emma said: “I’m so grateful for my donor and her family. I feel absolutely amazing now, I’ve had a few little bumps, but I’m here and it feels great to be alive again.”

She now works at Derriford Hospital at the dialysis unit where she was treated: “Before having my own transplant, I obviously saw what a difference it makes to my own patients to not need to come in for treatment three times a week.”

NHS Blood and Transplant said a record 8,096 patients were on the active transplant waiting list, including 662 people waiting for a liver.

Organ Donation Week encourages people to join the organ donor register and share their decision with their families.

Pam Healy, chief executive at the British Liver Trust, said: “Liver transplantation is successful for end-stage liver disease and the majority of people go on to live full, healthy lives. Sadly, every year hundreds die on the liver transplant waiting list. So, its important people register their decision to become an organ donor and share their wishes with family. No life-saving transplant would be possible without the generosity of donors and their families, they really do give the most precious gift of life.”