Transplant Talk

Transplant recipients and those of us on immune-suppressing medication are on the list of people extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. In this episode, I speak to one of our NHS doctors, Dr. Matthew Jones, about coronavirus from the perspective of a transplant recipient. It is our hope that through this conversation we can offer some reassurance at this time of worry and uncertainty.  -- As mentioned at the beginning of this episode, this podcast does not offer any medical advice or outcomes for transplant patients with coronavirus. Our intention is to provide a healthy conversation with as much advice and reassurance as is available and appropriate. We really hope it helps you to understand why people on immune-suppressing medication are potentially more vulnerable to this virus and also why we shouldn't be terrified - just sensible :) -- You can find out more about Dr. Matthew Jones on this Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/matthewjones1397/ and more about me, Ellie Lacey, on this one: https://www.instagram.com/running_therift/

Paul and I had been married for just four months when I needed an unexpected and unexplained liver transplant. In this episode, we chat about what it was like to live through the experience from his perspective. From sleeping in cupboards to contemplating losing a spouse before our journey had even got started. -- This is the last episode in this initial series, thank you so much for listening to the stories! If you have been affected by transplantation in any capacity and would like to be involved in a potential next series, please email transplanttalkpodcast@gmail.com - can't wait to hear from you! Keep updated with the podcast news on my Insta: @running_therift  And if you get 20 seconds, please rate the podcast - THANK YOU! :)

A little over ten years ago Melissa went from the picture of health to needing four blood or platelet transfusions every week. She was just 30 years old. Melissa needed a bone marrow transplant and Doug, a stranger living across the Atlantic, donated some of his stem cells and saved her life.  -- If you would like to register as a bone marrow donor or find out more about it, here's where to start: UK Anthony Nolan Trust: https://www.anthonynolan.org/ DKMS: https://www.dkms.org.uk/en/register-now NHS Blood and Transplant: https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/what-we-do/transplantation-services/stem-cells/ US Be the match: https://bethematch.org/ Germany DKMS: https://www.dkms.de/en Australia ABMDR: https://www.abmdr.org.au/ Thank you so much for listening, please rate the podcast over on iTunes and you'll make me and Melissa very happy indeed :)

In the summer of 2018 Louise gave birth, after a long labour, to her beautiful daughter Amelia. Within minutes her blood pressure dropped alarmingly and ultimately she was flown by RAF helicopter to Kings Hospital in London for a very very urgent liver transplant.  In this episode she talks about her experience in hospital, trying to be a mum to a newborn while recovering from the most shocking labour imaginable, and her life since.  -- To find out more about Louise here is her Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/louise1358/ and check out the amazing campaign she was part of for Mothercare: https://www.instagram.com/p/BuV7HqfDowX/?hl=en  As always a HUGE thank you for listening to the podcast, if you've enjoyed it please head over to iTunes and rate it :)

When Tracey was at school she learned about organ donation and decided then and there she wanted to donate a kidney. Twenty-seven years later she donated it to a stranger, saving her life and, as you'll hear, many more too.  -- If you live in the UK and would like to find out more about becoming a non-directed-donor, visit this website: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/become-a-living-donor/living-kidney-donation/ If you'd like to know more about Tracey, you can find her blog here: https://leavingitbetterthanifoundit.com/ and her not-for-profit - Kidney Donor Athletes - here: https://kidneydonorathlete.org/ Subscribe to the podcast to get new episodes straight away and please tap the stars to rate the show over on iTunes - thank you so much!

When Luna was just two weeks old, Izz knew something wasn't quite right with her daughter's health. After almost a year of extreme highs and lows, anxiety, heartache and so so much love, Luna had her life-saving liver transplant before she even turned one. -- If you'd like to know more about Izz's amazing story, you can watch a beautiful video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38jUXsA1VoA and you can find her on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/badlands_mama/ (@badlands_mama). Subscribe to the podcast and get new episodes as soon as they're live. And please rate the show on iTunes - thank you so much!

At 28 years old, after one unsuccessful kidney transplant and more than three years on dialysis, Orla received a donor kidney that changed her life. That was 12 years ago and she hasn't stopped since! -- In this episode, we discuss the Transplant Games. If you'd like to get involved there are so many ways you can! Find out all the info here: https://www.britishtransplantgames.co.uk/ the Games are so inclusive and the atmosphere is unreal. If you're a transplant recipient (organ or bone marrow) you can compete in the British Games as part of your hospital team. Find your hospital on this page https://www.britishtransplantgames.co.uk/teams and email the team manager who will guide you through the process. You can qualify for the World Games at the British Games so that's the best place to start your journey to Team GB! You can find out more about Orla's coffee shop, Kaffe-O, here: http://kaffeo.coffee/ and the blog post that I quote from can be found here (it's well worth a read): http://kaffeo.coffee/blog/2016/9/4/the-gift-of-time Subscribe to the podcast and get new episodes as soon as they're live!