Father’s urgent donor appeal for life-saving liver transplant

James said: “We are grateful to the NHS and the care I’ve received from the Royal Free and St Mary’s but we don’t have time to await the results of an appeal and my consultant advised us to look at options in other countries.”The couple, who got married in 2015, are going to a world-leading clinic in Istanbul, Turkey, which specialises in living donor liver transplantation.

They are due to travel on Sunday for urgent assessments and will be joined by a small number of people who have already volunteered to be tested as potential donors.

If suitable matches are identified, the case will then be reviewed by the hospital’s independent ethics committee before any transplant surgery can proceed.

“We have been incredibly moved by the support from people but the more donors we have, the better chance I have of finding a match,” James said. “We don’t want anyone to be financially worse off for offering to help. The generosity people have shown already has been overwhelming.”

James and Laura expect to remain in Turkey for several weeks. During that time, their son Harrison will stay in the UK.

James, who has worked since he was 15 and is now an HR director of a private equity firm, stopped work this week ahead of the trip.

“Everything is on hold for now,” he said. “We just need to focus on getting everything sorted and through the next few weeks.”

But the most difficult part, he said, has been explaining the situation to his son. “We have spoken to him about me needing a new liver and why I need to go abroad for a transplant. That in itself is not an easy conversation. But trying to explain to a 9 year-old, the impact of what it means if I don’t have it…” he added, trying to hold back the tears.

James was first diagnosed with PSC in 2013 after routine blood tests showed some abnormalities. At the time, he was advised to stop drinking alcohol, maintain a healthy lifestyle and have regular monitoring.

“For many years it was something that was managed,” he said. “I worked full-time, progressed in my career, kept fit and carried on with family life.”

Over the past year however, following some kidney stone incidents – unrelated to the PSC – blood tests began to show rising bilirubin levels and deteriorating liver function, alongside further imaging detecting changes to his liver. An MRI in January this year revealed a small shadow, and a subsequent CT scan confirmed the cancer, despite an otherwise clear MRI in September 2025.

Writing on the crowdfunder page, Laura said: “Without this transplant, we have been told James may only have months left. With it, he could gain 20 more years of life. Twenty more years as a father. Twenty more years as a husband. Twenty more years of memories, birthdays, laughter and love.
“This is not experimental,” she added, “this is a recognised, life-saving operation that many established international overseas clinics perform.

“We never imagined we would be in a position where we would have to ask for help like this. But today, we are. Because this is truly a matter of life or death.

“Every donation – no matter how big or small – brings us closer to giving James the chance to live.”

If you would like to be considered as a potential O blood type donor, please contact: 07725 086645
Link to crowdfunder at: www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-jamess-life-urgent-liver-transplant-needed