Being diagnosed with a chronic liver condition when you have always been fit and healthy comes as a shock. That shock is even greater when you’re on a family holiday. Eiréné’s mum, Anne describes what happened….
We were on holiday in Turkey last summer – that’s my husband Iaan and our two children – when our daughter, Eiréné, who was then 12, began to complain of stomach pains. Eiréné was never ill so we initially thought it might be food poisoning. As the pain got worse, however, we were sent to the local hospital who initially suspected a urine infection, but when antibiotics didn’t clear it, they realised she had suffered a burst appendix and needed emergency surgery.
This involved being transferred to another hospital a four-hour drive away – a frightening experience for all of us and particularly for Eiréné as initially I wasn’t allowed to go with her in the ambulance. Thankfully they were persuaded, and we had a blue light run to Izmir. Although we knew she was in the right place, to be honest we were terrified. We still didn’t really know what was happening, only the doctor spoke English, and we had to use Google translate to communicate with the nurses. I was on my own there as my husband had to stay with our son.
Of course our hope was that surgery would resolve the problem, so it was a huge shock when, after the operation when Eiréné was in intensive care, the doctor asked us how long we had been aware of her liver condition. This was a child who was never ill, never off school, I couldn’t even remember her having a cold. I thought they must be mistaken but the doctor was adamant – they kept talking about liver disease, cirrhosis of the liver and that she needed a liver transplant. They even introduced us to the transplant co-ordinator and asked if we wanted to proceed with it there!
This was a lot to take in and by now all we wanted to do was to get Eirene home. It did take a while getting her on her feet but after a nine day stay in hospital, and a further two weeks in Turkey, she was well enough to fly, and we got her home to Belfast. We had contacted our own GP from Turkey to let them know what was going on and I have to say they were amazing. When we got home, they had alerted our local hospital in Coleraine, who after blood tests confirmed what the Turkish doctors had said. They then contacted Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital who very quickly involved the specialist liver unit at Birmingham Children’s hospital under the care of Dr Gupte.
The past year has seen long hospital stays, numerous medical appointments and although it’s not yet confirmed, the doctors at Birmingham agree with those in Turkey that Eirene does most likely have auto-immune liver disease.
What caused Eiréné the most distress initially was the prospect of not being able to ride her beloved pony, Poppy, as she has an enlarged spleen and there was a risk of falling off. Eirene has loved horse riding since she was nine, so this was a real blow. She was relieved in February this year, to be told she could ride again, with appropriate protection. It’s been wonderful to see her back competing with the Route Hunt Pony Club.
Thankfully over the past few months, Eiréné has remained fit and well. A liver transplant is not yet on the cards and although she does have hospital appointments, we were lucky enough that her last trip to Birmingham coincided with the Horse of the Year show at the NEC which was a real treat!
Of course, her diagnosis in those circumstances was a huge shock but we’re relieved now that she is getting the care that she needs. Despite everything she has been through and all she is facing; she remains super positive and doesn’t allow this illness to hold her back.
As Eiréné says, “As long as I can ride Poppy it will all be fine!”
