A mum of three from Willington, Co Durham, whose experience on a children’s liver ward inspired her to raise funds for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) will be taking on the Great North Run this Sunday (September 10) and has already smashed her original fundraising target.
Samantha Morgan’s baby son, Max, was admitted to the specialist liver unit at Leeds Children’s Hospital last summer when he was only four weeks old as blood tests indicated he may have a rare liver disease.
“As Max underwent all manner of tests, the consultant explained the possible conditions they were testing for. Some were manageable, some fatal and none of them curable,” says Samantha, a 34 year old midwife. “A biopsy showed his liver was inflamed and scans revealed that it was not getting rid of the waste that it should. At 12 weeks old he was still jaundiced, had an enlarged spleen and in the words of his consultant was ‘painting a bleak picture’. I felt heartbroken.
“And then miraculously, when he was around 15 weeks old, his jaundice started to fade and slowly but surely his blood test results started to improve. Three weeks later his metabolic tests all came back as normal and his spleen started to reduce in size. Very gradually over the next few months, Max began to improve. I barely allowed myself to believe it.
“A year on, we now know that Max was suffering from idiopathic neonatal hepatitis, a condition which most babies recover from but those that don’t will require a liver transplant. His liver team discharged him in July and he is now a very happy 15 month old. I know all too well that we are the lucky ones.
“I’ve seen first-hand what childhood liver disease means and what families go through. When Max was really poorly, I made all kinds of promises to the universe that I would do something good if he would just get better. So that’s why I’m doing the Great North Run even though I’m not really a runner! I’ve now discovered that CLDF provide support to parents whose children have liver disease, making that journey less lonely, and fund research into these conditions, giving hope to families who really do need it. If I can raise a meaningful amount by taking on this challenge then something good has come from all this trauma.
“I’ve had to fit in training around work and family. My husband and I both work shifts, so a rigid training regime has not been possible but my dog Willow is always happy to come running with me whether it’s a three mile or eleven mile run!
“The fundraising is much more important to me than what time I achieve and I’ve been blown away by the support I have had. I was worried about hitting my original target of £500, given the cost of living crisis so to have topped £2,000 is amazing. I know a half-marathon won’t be easy but I’m going to finish. I am doing this for all the children and families who go through what we have, but who don’t get a well child at the end. This has been the worst year of my life, the unknown, the uncertainty, the rarity of it all has been so isolating, so hard. It very nearly broke me. I am so grateful that Max has recovered. Now I just need to give something back to the parents who aren’t as lucky as us.”
Mairead Ritchie, PR & Comms Manager at 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 to hear Samantha is taking on the Great North Run for us. It’s wonderful that she is using her experience to benefit others and we wish her all the best for the day.”
You can support Samantha in the Great North Run by going to Samantha Morgan is fundraising for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (justgiving.com).
For more information on CLDF visit childliverdisease.org.
