“I only found out about Children’s Liver Disease Foundation when my friend’s little boy Oliver, who is now seven, was diagnosed with portal hypertension,” explains Anthony, 33.  “Having a child diagnosed with a rare liver condition is a shock to any family and unfortunately GP’s have little or no information to help them understand. It can be difficult to receive detailed information from specialists as they are so busy. And for this reason, the information and support provided by CLDF is invaluable. These families have nowhere else to turn.

“I’ve never been a runner before but when I joined a local running club in February and decided I would like to do the Great North Run for CLDF. Training was going well until June when I suffered a knee injury and had to take a month off running. So I’m really pleased to have finished ten minutes ahead of my target time. It was tough going but an amazing experience. And to date I’ve raised £295, although my final total will be matched by my employer, BGL Group so any further donations will be gratefully received!”

Alison Taylor, Chief Executive of Children’s Liver Disease Foundation commented: “CLDF is the only UK charity dedicated to fighting all childhood liver diseases, by providing information and emotional support, funds for research and a voice for all those affected. In order to do this however, we rely almost entirely on voluntary donations, so we are very grateful for Anthony’s efforts and delighted that he enjoyed the experience. The funds he has raised will help children like Oliver throughout the UK.”

You can still support Anthony’s Great North Run challenge by  going to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/a-mcguinness

For more information on CLDF visit childliverdisease.org.

“It’s very tough being diagnosed with a rare lifelong condition at that age,” says Anastacia. “So many people just have no idea what you are going through. However, CLDF were there for me and put me in touch with other young people who live with liver disease. I even joined them for a film-making workshop last year with other teenagers. I not only met other people who understood me, but I was able to show my film at school to explain what it’s like to live with liver disease.

“The team were also there for my parents. I think it was just as tough for them and I know that my mum in particular appreciated a calm and reassuring voice on the end of the phone when she was having a bad day.”

Keen to give something back, Anastacia was thrilled when the opportunity to do a sky dive arose and has even done an indoor sky dive as practice. Now she can’t wait for the big day.

“I’m really excited,” she says. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do and to raise money for a cause which means so much to me makes it even better.”

Alison Taylor, Chief Executive of Children’s Liver Disease Foundation commented: “CLDF is the only UK charity dedicated to fighting all childhood liver diseases, by providing information and emotional support, funds for research and a voice for all those affected. In order to do this however, we rely on voluntary donations, so we are delighted that Anastacia has decided to do this for us. I’m sure it will be an amazing experience for her, and the funds she raises will enable us to continue to support young people like Anastacia around the UK.”

You can support Anastacia’s sky dive by going to:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anastacia-aldrich

The increase in the number of organ donors was made possible thanks to more families agreeing to support donation, fewer families refusing to support their relative’s decision to donate and an increased referral rate of potential donors by medical staff to organ donation teams.

CLDF Chief Executive, Alison Taylor commented: “These figures are good news and demonstrate how important it is that people make their wishes on organ donation known to their loved ones.”

In 2020, the law around organ donation will be changing in both England and Scotland. Both countries will be introducing an opt out system for organ donation, just as Wales did in December 2015 and Jersey from 1st July 2019.

Wales now has the highest consent rate of all the UK nations, now 77%, up from 58% in 2015. It is hoped that once the law change comes into force in both England and Scotland, and as awareness of organ donation is heightened in the public consciousness, we will see similar increases across both these countries.

For further details of the Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report click here.