Second life-saving liver transplant a success for bride-to-be Rebecca

Rebecca Gough, 33, from Wakefield, and fiance James Towse of Stanningley, Leeds, knew their wedding plans would be wrecked unless a donor was found.

Rebecca said she was told in March that the operation would not take place if a donor was found during the Covid-19 pandemic as she is classed as a high risk.

In July, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said that the names of all patients on the organ transplant waiting list were being reactivated.

Rebecca underwent a liver transplant operation at St James’s Hospital in Leeds on November 12 and is recovering well.

Rebecca and James, 31, hope to marry in a ceremony at Leeds Town Hall in summer 2023.

Rebecca, of Outwood, was born suffering from liver cancer and underwent a liver transplant when she was just two years old in December 1989.

The operation was a success and Rebecca , who worked as a healthcare assistant at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, led a normal life until she fell ill in 2018.

Tests revealed that the transplanted liver was failing and she spent six months in hospital in 2019 before going back on the transplant waiting list for a new liver.

Rebecca said: “It’s been really difficult mentally and physically. To finally get my transplant near the end of 2020 I got my Christmas miracle.

“I got a new lease of life and, with 2021 round the corner, I feel like with the continuous support of my friends and family we all can take whatever 2021 brings and start planning my future and my wedding for August 2023.

“As long as I keep believing in my dreams anything is possible.”

Rebecca said she has been busy making items for the wedding, including a cake stand and invitations.

The couple launched a JustGiving crowdfunding page which has so far raised more than £670 for the liver transplant team at St James’s Hospital and ward J38 on the hospital’s liver unit.

Dr Phil Wood, chief medical officer for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted for Miss Gough and would like to wish her well in her recovery and thank her for her fundraising for our Liver transplant team.

“The Leeds transplant programme remains open for all patients on the waiting list for a donor.

“We are pleased to say liver transplants continued all through this year in Leeds, even during the first wave of the pandemic.

“Along with the rest of the country we have seen a decline in the number of organ donors compared to last year.

“Our adult transplant activity in Leeds has decreased by around 30 per cent when compared to the same time last year.

“The most important message is for all of us to consider organ donation, speak to our families and say yes to donation.”